Tight at the top in netball league as Team Rowley beat Loungers and Kinetics see off AHS

The first division of the netball leagues remains very close with Team Rowley just managing to see off Loungers and Kinetics overcoming a spirited AHS side. In division two Supernova defeated Mishaps.

Division One

Team Rowley 38, Loungers 32

Both teams took to the court after two weeks without a game filled with determination to come out on top.

Everyone took a while to settle with errors from both sides but Team Rowley soon managed to pull ahead by three goals through accurate shooting from Marie Clark with a score of 6-3.

However, a few misses by Team Rowley and effortless rebounding from Kirsten Tait meant Loungers were able to reduce the lead to just one with a score of 8-7 at the end of the quarter.

Loungers brought on Victoria Duthie at GD for the start of the second quarter but it was Rowley who got off to a good start through steady mid-court play from Morag Fox and Karen Mackay with three in a row which extended their lead to 14-9.

Loungers responded with good movement and accurate shooting from Claire Young and Stella Oldbury. However, with excellent support from Karen Bannister and Karen Mackay, Lisa Morisson was able to score some spectacular long-range shots to finish with a score of 21-14 at half time.

Rowley made a change for the third quarter with Anne Wood coming on at WD. Loungers picked up their game with tight defending from Louise Moar and Victoria Duthie as well as good attacking play from Inga Woods and Hazel Uren. Loungers managed to close in on the Rowley lead to end with a close score of 29-25 going into the final quarter.

The game got even more competitive in the fourth quarter with neither team willing to give up. Loungers managed to come within a single goal of Rowley but through vital rebounds and tight defending from Rowley’s Maisie Unsworth and Fiona Dally, as well as some steady play from Wood, Rowley managed to feed the ball up the court. There the shooters, Morrison and Clark, held their nerve to score three successive goals which secured their lead going.

Players of the match were Louise Moar for Loungers for her steady defending and Karen Mackay for Team Rowley for her consistent mid-court play throughout.

Kinetics 33, AHS 26

Kinetics won the first centre pass and looked strong from the outset. The game was contested at a fast pace, but both teams settled quickly and play resumed end to end. It was Kinetics who managed to edge ahead towards the end of the first quarter. Good shooting from young Chloe Miller saw her Kinetics team mates relieved at a 10-7 lead.

The young AHS side took to the court fired up and keen to level the score. However, the ever-determined Kinetics side were not going to give in easily. Emma Gray and Andrea Tait were working tirelessly in the Kinetics defensive circle, making many timely interceptions.

Unfortunately Kinetics had to substitute when they lost Cheryl Simpson to injury. AHS took advantage of the reshuffle and played neat quick passing amongst Sophie Leyland, Allie Elphinstone and Debbie Smith.

Kinetics soon found their stride again and clever play between Lesley Spence and Fiona Shearer found Miller and Sarah Grogan in fine form. They extended their lead at half time to 17-13.

Kinetics went into the third quarter keen to make no mistakes, as they were aware of the sharpness and fitness of their junior counterparts. Ingrid Nicol intercepted many well-read balls, which were quickly turned into goals by Miller and Grogan.

At times there was a battle of the mid-court, and Tait and Gray picked up a few erratic loose balls for Kinetics, with Emma Leask doing the same for AHS. Shearer and Spence kept the Kinetics attack calm, holding up play at times, to prevent AHS scoring further goals. They increased their lead to 25-19.

Going into the final quarter, Kinetics again had the first centre pass. To secure the three points for a win, Kinetics had to keep possession and use their short pass game. This seemed to work well for them.

Gray and Tait continued to work well in defence for Kinetics, while Grogan and Miller continued their fine form.

AHS switched their defence around, using the height of Leask and Leyland to try to upset the Kinetics shooting duo. However, the experience of the Kinetics team shone through, and they managed to pull ahead to win.

The players of the match were young Chloe Miller (Kinetics) and Debbie Smith (AHS), both for their superb shooting.

Division Two

Supernova 33, Mishaps 27

These two teams always have very closely contested matches and this was no different. Supernova took an early lead with tight defending by Emma Rose and Jenny Gray, which was quickly converted into goals by shooting duo Liz Haining and Marianne Williamson.

However, Mishaps were determined not to be beaten and fought back with excellent mid-court play from Lara Thomason and Suzanne Manson. At the end of the first quarter there was only a four-goal difference, with Supernova just ahead 10-6.

In the next two quarters the match continued to be evenly matched, with Supernova managing to maintain their lead, despite the concerted efforts of Mishaps.

The final quarter saw both teams fighting for every ball, but Supernova eventually prevailed. Players of the match were Marianne Williamson for Supernova and Suzanne Manson and Rona Simpson for Mishaps.