Great display of junior netball talent as Unst take on Kinetics

Unst are still looking for their first win in netball’s first division after losing to league leaders Kinetics in a match which was much closer than the score suggests. Meanwhile team Rowley narrowly outscored AHS.

Division One

Unst 20, Kinetics 47

The match turned out to be a great display of the junior talent in Shetland at the moment with six junior players on court between the two teams.

Unst won the toss and chose to take the first centre pass. The first quarter saw both teams slowly finding their feet after the October break. The play was evenly matched with neither team ready to take advantage of the chances they were creating. Excellent shooting in the Kinetics circle by Kirsti Leask and Sarah Grogan helped Kinetics take the first quarter 10-7.

Kinetics started to take control in the second quarter, linking their passes well to bring the ball down the court to their shooters. Kinetics goal defence Andrea Tait gave Unst a hard time, making sure that any high balls into the circle were hers. Her excellent interceptions, alongside Kinetics’ consistent shooting, made the half-time score 24-10.

Both teams came back on court again ready to go with Kinetics bringing on their junior players, who were all keen to make an impression. Unst’s young attack of Megan Burns, Chelsea Jamieson and Debbie Smith were linking well together around the circle edge and the shooters began to find the net.

Both teams continued to battle hard right to the final whistle but a good all-round team performance from Kinetics saw them take the match 47-20.

All the junior players should be proud of their performances. The player of the match awards went to Debbie Smith for Unst and Kirsti Leask for Kinetics.

AHS 25, Team Rowley 32

With both teams playing their first game after the October break, the opening quarter was a scrappy affair with passes going astray and unforced errors on both sides. TR edged ahead, finishing 7-4 at the end of the quarter.

The second quarter saw more settled play. Morag Fox (WD) was in a determined mood and was influential in the TR defence making some vital interceptions. Inga Woods (GD) and Emma Leask (GK) also were proving their worth for AHS with tight marking making shooting difficult for the TR shooters. The score stood at 18-11 for TR at half-time.

Tactical changes for the AHS saw Woods move to her usual position of centre and Sophie Leyland to WA. This had an immediate effect as AHS staged their comeback. Chloe Millar (GS), ably assisted by Louise Jamieson (GA), was finding the net with ease and AHS reduced the lead to two goals. However, the experienced TR shooters Dawn Manson and Marie Clark found form late on and increased the lead to 24-18 going into the last quarter.

The final quarter was played out with goals being scored from the centre pass. An entertaining game despite the inconsistencies on display in the opening quarter saw TR win by seven goals.

Best on the night were Morag Fox for TR and Sophie Leyland for AHS.

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