Narrow win for Kinetics over Loungers puts them in top spot in netball league

Kinetics defeated Loungers to open up a small gap at the top of the netball first division while Challengers and Unst both had impressive wins in division two.

Division One

Loungers 27, Kinetics 33

The game started off fast with Kinetics gaining an early lead due to good centre court play and linking with shooters Kirsti Leask and Sarah Grogan, who rarely missed a shot. Kinetics had a 12-7 lead going into the second quarter.

To try to interrupt Kinetics’ play, Loungers welcomed back Kristin Johnson at GK and made a few changes in the attacking end. Johnson’s height advantage in the circle meant there were a lot more rebounds won for Loungers, who were able to convert them into goals at the other end of the court. The quarter finished 16-11 in Kinetics favour.

Loungers started to claw back the deficit in the third quarter where Vicki Henderson at centre played some great balls in to shooters Inga Woods and Claire Young, who were having a very tough time in the circle being marked tightly by Andrea Tait and Emma Gray. Tait made many crucial interceptions for Kinetics to keep a four-goal lead going into the final quarter.

The final quarter started with both teams determined to win every ball. Kinetics were the first to settle, enabling them to extend their lead and win the game to return to the top of the league table.

Players of the match were Inga Woods for Loungers and Andrea Tait for Kinetics.

Wastside 14, AHS 41

AHS took a strong lead 13-1 in the first quarter, using their effective attacking skills and fast passing in mid-court and in the circle.

The second quarter saw Westside engage in better play with some good shooting from Julie Odie and Mhari Moncrieff, but unfortunately their errors let them down and AHS were able to pull ahead with some fantastic play from shooters Claire Morris and Louise Jamieson.

The third quarter saw Wastside improve again and they took the score up to 27-10, with some brilliant defending from Pauline Walterson.

Unfortunately the last quarter left the Wastside players tired and AHS again boosted their tally, ending 27 goals ahead.

Players of the match were Pauline Walterson for Wastside and Megan Keppie for AHS.

Division Two

Challengers 31, Supernova 17

Both teams took a while to settle but Challengers managed to take a lead of 10-2 by the end of the first quarter.

Supernova found their feet and that led to end-to-end play in the second quarter with good interceptions by Supernova’s defence.

A few changes were made in the third quarter by both teams. Challengers maintained their form, to lead by 23-13 heading into the final quarter.

Supernova dominated the final quarter but could not close the gap.

Players of the match were Natalie Polson for Challengers and Alice Unsworth for Supernova.

Unst 52, Mishaps 17

Both teams started well with good passing play up and down the court. Unst’s Alice Mullay and Amber Inkster linked well in the centre court and feeding their circle meant a lead of 9-4 at the end of the first quarter.

Mishaps came out strongly in the second quarter with Elaine Jamieson battling hard and marking tight in the defending circle. However, strong shooting from Unst led to them extending the lead to 22-8.

The second half saw both teams working hard to keep possession. The Mishaps attack connected well with Suzanne Manson and Lara Thomason finding space and their shooters on target, which saw them have their best quarter. It was 33-14 going into the last quarter.

By the end Unst began to dominate the court. Martha Clark defended excellently, getting many interceptions and allowing Unst to turn over a number of Mishaps centres. Mishaps had an injury to their team but that did not dampen their spirits and they continued to battle to the end.

Players of the match were the two centres, Alice Mullay for Unst and Lara Thomason for Mishaps. They ran from end to end and worked tirelessly throughout.

Division Three

TeamTingwall 36, Ness 26

Team Tingwall secured the first centre pass and were quick to settle, the first quarter ending 11-4 in their favour.

The second quarter saw two changes for Ness – Sonja Jamieson (WD) and Stephanie Adamson (GS). Adamson proved to be a strong replacement with the majority of her shots on target.

However, Team Tingwall were able to continue with their strong attacking game, leading 17-12 at half time.

Following changes in the line up to both teams, the third quarter was under way. Defending and attacking players on both sides linked well through the court to their respective attacking circles, each converting their centre pass into a goal.

Team Tingwall continued to build on their lead in the final quarter, proving too strong a team for Ness.

Players of the match were Zoey Symington for Team Tingwall and Gina Scanlon for Ness.