Netball wins for Kinetics, Whalsay and Loungers

Kinetics comfortably saw off Unst in netball’s first division, while Whalsay managed to snatch victory from Team Rowley and the Loungers beat AHS.

Division 1

Kinetics 49, Unst 15

Kinetics started off the more confident side with young Amber Inkster (C) linking well with Lesley Spence (WA) to feed the Kinetics shooters. At the opposite end the experienced Kinetics defenders Andrea Tait and Kristen Jeromsen made it tough for the young Unst shooters, pouncing on every rebound and limiting their movement in the circle. Kinetics had a half time lead of 26-6.

However, the game was not as straightforward as the scoreline would suggest, with robust defending from Unst players Linda Johnson and Martha Clark. This meant Kinetics shooters Sarah Grogan and Kirsti Leask had to fight hard for every ball.

In the third quarter Louise Fraser replaced Amber Inkster at centre and with her pace the game picked up momentum. Kinetics continued their good run of play with Cheryl Simpson (WD) providing good support up the court. In the last quarter Unst stepped up a gear with Alice Mullay and Kathleen Johnson playing well in the centre court. As a result this was the closest quarter of the game. The final score was Kinetics 49, Unst 15.

Players of the match were Sarah Grogan for Kinetics and Martha Clark for Unst.

Whalsay 21, Team Rowley 20

This was a closely contested game with both teams matched from the onset. Whalsay managed to steal a goal from TR to lead by two goals at the end of the first quarter.

TR remained calm at the beginning of the second quarter which helped them to draw even with Whalsay. With string defending TR gained a 14-9 lead at half time.

Undeterred, Whalsay came on battling for the lead once more with good interceptions in their defence. They managed to claw back to only one goal behind going into the fourth quarter.

Both teams, desperate for the win, fought for every ball. This led to a nail-biting finish with Whalsay scoring the winning goal in the final seconds of the game to win 21-20.

Player of the match for Whalsay was Janet Abernethy and Maisie Unsworth won the title for Team Rowley.

Loungers 31, AHS 21

AHS started the game strongly and confidently and when they were 4-0 up Loungers began to look worried. Eventually, Loungers slowly began to pull together despite the rapid pace of the game. AHS did however manage to hold their initial lead to end the first quarter 7-5.

Loungers came into the second quarter with the intention of playing their own game. Good linking play from them allowed the ball to stay more in their attacking circle. Beth Leslie’s shooting was faultless and she soon started to rack up the goals for Loungers.

The third quarter began with Loungers three goals ahead. AHS defender Emma Leask gave Stella Oldbury (GA) a run for her money in catching the rebounds. When the AHS defence got possession of the ball it was straight down the court to their shooters. Louise Jamieson (GA) played well throughout the game, gaining possession often and making accurate shots.

Inga Woods equally played well by providing strong support on the edge of the circle. A fall by Jennifer Thomson in the third quarter meant it looked like Loungers would have to reshuffle the team but thankfully play continued as it was. By the end of the third quarter Loungers had pulled ahead to take a lead of 10 goals, making the score 24 -14.

The final quarter was very much end-to-end play with both teams scoring eight goals each. Vicki Henderson did an excellent job of keeping her team together throughout the game and it paid off with a final score of 21-31 to Loungers.

Players of the match were Beth Leslie for Loungers and Louise Jamieson for AHS.

For second and third division reports, tables and fixtures, see this week’s Shetland Times.