Loungers move into pole position
Loungers moved to the top of the netball first division with a hard-fought win over Kiwis, although the new leaders have played a game more than Whalsay, the team they displaced. The other match in the top flight saw a win for AHS over Challengers while McEwans were victorious in the second divison and Mavericks and Da Hooligans picked up full points in division three.
Division One
AHS 40, Challengers 24
Challengers were missing key players Marie Anderson and Heather Williamson in their attack. AHS took the lead from the whistle and quickly went four goals up as Christine Jamieson expertly fed shooters Andrea Strachan and Ava Sim. Challengers began to recover from their slow start and their game began to flow with shots being converted by Louise Anderson and Louise Johnson. The score was 9-7 to AHS at the end of the first quarter.
Changes to the AHS line up saw Jamieson move to GA with Sasha Wood coming on as WA. The second period saw the AHS defensive unit of Emma Leask, Louise Birnie and Sophie Leyland pile on the pressure, making a number of turnovers. As the ball was fed expertly up the court the shooting duo of Sim and Jamieson found the net and at half time led by 19-11.
A more focused Challengers began the third quarter. Linsey Pearson worked tirelessly in the mid-court, linking the defence and attack and this momentarily halted the AHS momentum. Some great competitive netball was played by both sides and AHS were leading 30-19 going into the final period.
AHS switched Inga Woods to WD and Sophie Leyland to centre and once again took charge of the game. Some sparkling and creative moves between Woods and Leyland, together with powerful attacking play by Strachan at WA, enabled the AHS shooters to see plenty of the ball as they increased their lead.
Andrea Strachan and Linsey Pearson were named players of the match.
Loungers 36, Kiwis 35
Kiwis started linking well and initially took a 5-1 lead but it wasn’t long before Loungers took control. Great interceptions by Loungers Vicki Henderson and Diane Thomson meant they were able to capitalise on loose passes and quickly convert them to goals by shooters Stella Oldbury and Paula Sinclair. The first quarter ended 11-6 to Loungers.
The second quarter started at a fast pace with Kiwis determined to win back goals. The tight Loungers defence put pressure on Kiwis’ Julie Kirkness and Karen Mackay. At the other end Loungers’ Hazel Uren repeatedly gave support around the circle feeding in accurate balls to the shooters. Both teams continued to fight hard for possession but Loungers were able to hold their five-goal lead, ending 18-13 at half time.
The second half saw a more settled Kiwis team with Julie Kirkness moving to centre and Morag Fox to WA. The superb shooting duo of Marie Clark and Dawn Manson allowed Kiwis to close the goal difference to three.
The last quarter was tense with end-to-end play for most of it. Neither team were letting go of possession after centre passes and defence from both teams struggled to get a look in. Kiwis stayed determined and clawed back the goal difference so there was only one goal in it. The game ended with yet another nail-biting finish, Loungers edging home by one goal.
Players of the match were Hazel Uren for Loungers and Dawn Manson for Kiwis.
Division Two
McEwans 34, Supernova 29
This was the first time McEwans had played in Clickimin for a couple of seasons and although it took them a little while to settle on the bigger court, they had a slight advantage at the end of the first quarter, leading 10-6.
Nova made a few tactical changes for the second quarter, with Lois Gray moving to GA and making an immediate impact as she linked up with Liz Haining in the shooting circle. At the other end Hannah Burgess and Stephanie Keith were closely marking Alison Williamson and Joanne Stewart, who were struggling to find the net, meaning it was 14-all at the end of the second quarter.
The third quarter was very evenly matched, going goal for goal, Nova just leading by one goal going into the last quarter.
McEwans really found their form in the last quarter, especially defenders Shona Moncrieff and Diane Irvine who got crucial interceptions which were converted into goals at the other end. The shooters finally found the net, resulting in a hard fought win for McEwans in a match that could easily have gone either way.
Players of the match were Joanne Stewart for McEwans and Lois Gray and Hannah Burgess for Supernova.
Mishaps 31, Lerwick Juniors 19
No report was submitted.
Division Three
Mavericks 34, Ness 28
This fast-paced game started with both teams very evenly matched. For Ness, Caroline Wood and Rachel Adamson took time to settle in the circle in the first few minutes. Mavericks managed to ease 8-5 ahead by quarter time, prompting a switch in the Ness attack with Caroline Wood switching to WA and Elizabeth Williamson stepping into GA.
This did not daunt Mavericks who, with steady shooting from Chloe Miller with good support from Alana Sinclair, Amber Inkster and Alison Elphinstone, increased their lead to 19-9 by half time despite strong centre court play from Wood, Hazel Bairnson and Lesley Smales.
The third quarter saw Ness asserting themselves and the gap starting to close. The Ness attack was looking confident and assertive and with Adamson and Williamson consistently scoring, the final quarter started with Ness having reduced their deficit from 10 to five goals.
With great maturity, the young Mavericks kept calm and managed to stem the return flow from Ness with Smith, Gray and Burgess keeping the pressure on the Ness attack. Mavericks came through to win in a close and fast game.
Players of the match were Amber Inkster and Chloe Miller for Mavericks and Caroline Wood for Ness.
Da Hooligans 39, Scallywags 20
Both teams were slow to settle in the first quarter and the play was evenly matched. The shooters found it hard to convert goals due to the strong defending by both teams. The score was level at 4-4.
Several times in the second quarter Da Hooligans would pull a few goals ahead and just when they thought they were gaining the advantage Scallywags would pull back to level the game.
In the last two quarters Da Hooligans began settled more into the game and started to build a lead. Scallywags never gave up and continued to make it difficult for Da Hooligans, who had to battle hard to gain the victory. This was a good game and the final score did not reflect its closeness.
Players of the match were Lara Kay for Da Hooligans and Gwen Malcolmson for Scallywags.
