One more win required for Whalsay netball glory
A win for Whalsay in the remaining game will secure the first division netball title for the Bonnie Isle side, while Loungers, the other team in contention, were awarded the points against AHS. The situation is the same in division three where another victory for Da Hooligans will be enough for the championship. Meanwhile Unst, who have already claimed the second division title, finished the campaign with an impressive 100 per cent winning record.
Division One
Loungers v AHS
Loungers were awarded the points.
Challengers 21, Kinetics 39
Kinetics soon pulled ahead and with their passing well controlled and the shooters never missing, there wasn’t much that Challengers could do.
Going into the last quarter Kinetics were leading 32-15. Then with only five minutes left Challengers centre Heather Williamson had to come off with an ankle injury which left them with six players as their substitute Louise Anderson had gone for a shower. Instead of playing with six Challengers decided to put on Kirsty Johnson who had come down to watch the game. She scored three vital goals, ending the game at 39-21 and giving Challengers a point.
Players of the match were Louise Johnson for Challengers and Cheryl Simpson for Kinetics.
AHS v Kiwis
Kiwis were awarded the points.
Division Two
Mishaps 19, Unst 37
Unst secured a comfortable win in their closing fixture and confirmed their place as division two champions.
From the outset they created real problems for the Lerwick side, who rarely managed to get the ball into their attacking semi-circle. When they did, any misses on goal were quickly grasped by Martha Clark and Linda Johnson and Unst led 10-2 at the end of the first quarter.
Mishaps made a few changes and found a flow in their passing style. Alicia Hunter was shooting particularly well, and Mishaps managed to stem the tide, trailing 21-10 at half time.
Mishaps had their best quarter of the game in the third, stringing together some very effective attacking passes and capitalising on rebound opportunities. However, Unst’s lead never really looked in any danger, and indeed they had a final spurt on goal in the last 10 minutes.
Unst play really well as a team and look set to give some of their division one rivals a very good game next season. If any players had to be singled out it would be Martha Clark and Linda Johnson for their constant interceptions which thwarted their opposition’s attacking play, while for Mishaps shooter Alicia Hunter and youngsters Katie Farnworth and Megan Keppie shone.
Lerwick Juniors v McEwans
No report was submitted.
Division Three
Scallywags 28, Da Hooligans 34
Accurate passing and precise shooting gave Da Hooligans a 12-5 lead at the end of the first quarter and it was this initial seven-goal cushion which would prove very helpful.
In the second quarter Da Hooligans managed to stretch very well to block a few of the Scallywags advances. Zoe Irvine for Da Hooligans was moving fast and linking super passes to Caroline Sandison and Lara Kay. Towards the end of the quarter Scallywags were starting to pick up their game with Laura Saunders defending her goal very well. The half-time score was 11-19 to Da Hooligans.
Scallywags started the next quarter with strong passes between Gwen Malcolmson and Nicola Smith who worked the circle well. The strength in mid-court enabled more chances for the shooting pair of Ann-Marie Robinson and Dana Watt who took their chances bravely and slowly started to close the gap in points. The game was starting to turn very interesting with Scallywags seeing some hope in closing the gap further.
The gap of seven was still cushioning Da Hooligans as the last quarter commenced, the score standing at 26-19. The strength of the young Whalsay lasses held them together and in the final minutes they pulled further ahead with some amazing shots on target, firing from distance and awkward angles.
Players of the match were Nicola Smith for Scallywags and Zoe Irvine for Da Hooligans.
