Whalsay take step towards title
Whalsay maintained their position as leading contenders for the netball first division title by defeating AHS last week, while closest challengers Kinetics were beaten by Loungers. The second division saw wins for Wastside and McEwans while in division three Mavericks were victorious.
Division One
Whalsay 27, AHS 17
Both teams took time to settle with defences making good interceptions which resulted in end-to-end play and low scoring. Whalsay had just edged ahead 7-4 at the end of the first quarter.
Whalsay found their form first with excellent defensive play from Sarah Kay and Natalie Polson which extended their lead to 14-7 by the end of the second quarter.
Whalsay maintained the lead with Catherine Williamson covering the entire court and spurring on her team. AHS played a mature passing game and were quick to intercept, keeping the game closely contested to the end.
Players of the match were June Williamson for Whalsay and Inga Woods for AHS.
Kinetics 25, Loungers 29
The game started off at a very fast pace with shots going in at both ends. A few scrappy passes from Kinetics saw Loungers intercept and pull ahead 14-11 at the end of half time.
Loungers dominated the third quarter with good centre court play between Hazel Uren and Vikki Henderson. With very few shots missed by Stella Oldbury, Loungers took a greater lead of 22-15.
The fourth quarter saw Kinetics fight back with accurate passing into the attacking circle from centre Louise Fraser to GA Sarah Grogan, who then finished them off confidently. Some good interceptions from the Kinetics defence of Cheryl Simpson and Emma Gray also helped bring a few goals back.
Players of the match were Louise Fraser for Kinetics and Hazel Uren for Loungers.
Division Two
Supernova 22, Wastside 30
Wastside took an early lead, taking full advantage of the fact that Supernova had only six players, having been let down at short notice. Wastside played some fast and furious netball, storming into an early lead, with excellent mid-court play and strong, effortless shooting from Shona Keith and Mhari Moncrieff.
However, Supernova fought back with Jeanna Inkster and Hannah Burgess covering the mid-court superbly, and at the end of the first quarter the score stood at 5-4 to Wastside.
Wastside continued to increase the lead with their shooters rarely missing a shot, despite the concerted efforts of Supernova defenders Laura Mathewson and Jenny Wylie.
Both teams fought hard for every ball with some excellent mid-court interceptions, but Wastside continued to take advantage of their extra player and at half time had increased the lead by three goals to 12-9.
The third quarter saw Supernova starting to tire and Wastside seized on every opportunity to maintain and increase the lead. The whole team worked hard and determinedly, firing the balls up to the goal third where Shona Keith and Mhari Moncrieff converted them into goals. The score at the end of the third quarter had seen Wastside increase their lead to 21-14.
The final quarter saw Supernova come back out fighting and reinvigorated, but Wastside had their sights set on winning and nothing was going to stop them. Both teams worked hard for every ball, with some fantastic shooting from Supernova’s Lois Gray supported by Hannah Burgess and Jeanna Inkster, but it was too late for a comeback and Wastside deservedly won the match.
Players of the match were Jeanna Inkster for Supernova and Shona Keith for Wastside.
McEwans 49, Mishaps 38
This match started evenly with end-to-end play, the score level at 12-12 by the end of the first quarter.
The McEwans completely dominated the second quarter with Maggie Irvine and Eileen Robertson controlling the mid-court and feeding excellent balls into shooters Leona Williamson and Joanne Stewart who converted into goals. At the other end Shona Moncrieff and Emily Shearer were defending well and limiting the Mishaps shooters to long range shots at goal.
The Mishaps made a few tactical changes in the third quarter and narrowed the gap slightly as Alicia Hunter and Leanne Tait found their shooting form. New players Megan Keppie and Katie Fawnworth were also settling well into the team, making important interceptions and marking their players closely in defence. However, the McEwans lead was too big and they went on to win convincingly.
Players of the match were Joanne Stewart and Shona Moncrieff for McEwans and Megan Keppie for Mishaps.
Unst 50, Lerwick Juniors 15
Both teams arrived with only seven players and were grateful to the two young players from Mishaps that stayed behind to score the game.
The first quarter was the closest of the match. Alice Mullay and Sarah Groat, the centres for both teams, controlled the play up and down the court and Unst led 11-5.
With the arrival of Cara McNiven Juniors strengthened their defence. Unst also swapped their team and brought Jane Macaulay to the attack. That seemed to help the centre pass and feeding into the circle. This, together with some accurate shooting from Claire Priest and Linda Thomson, saw Unst end the first half with a strong 26-8 lead.
The second half saw Juniors battle well for every goal. Louise Jamieson and Sadie Tait worked extremely hard against the strong Unst defence of Kathleen Johnson and Martha Clark. However, Unst’s solid passing and movement was too much for the Juniors.
Player of the match for Lerwick Juniors was Louise Jamieson while for Unst it was Jane Macaulay.
Division Three
Mavericks 38, Burra 17
The game started in an unsettled vein for both teams with Mavericks unable to convert the first few attacks into goals and Burra unable to pass smoothly up the court to counter attack.
After a few minutes Mavericks opened the scoring and as the half progressed both teams looked much more in control. Chloe Miller found her usual form for Mavericks, shooting confidently from wherever she caught the ball in the circle.
Burra looked the smoother of the teams on the counter attacks, always finding space and using it well to pass the ball up the court. Alexis Jamieson and Heather Henry teamed up well in the attacking end keeping Burra in contention for the first quarter.
The second quarter started with Mavericks leading 7-5. During this quarter the Mavericks stepped up a notch with Amanda Gray and Ashley Burgess thwarting Burra’s attempts at goal and monopolising on any stray rebounds or passes. Chloe Miller paired up well with Ali Elphinstone in the attacking end and helped to pull the team to 17-7 by half time.
The second half saw Burra playing determined netball with Susan Laurenson giving her all in defence and Joanne Anderson working tirelessly in the centre court, but Mavericks were now confident and combining well as a team with Gray moving up the court well to support the attack when needed.
Players of the match were Alexis Jamieson and Heather Henry for Burra and Amanda Gray for Mavericks.
