Quins spring netball upset

Just when it seemed Pelorus were poised to take control of the premier netball scene, along came Harlequins.

In the feature game of tonight’s round of matches at Stadium 2000, Quins ended the Dark Blues’ unbeaten record against competition sides this season, prevailing 47-43 in a high-class encounter.

In round one Pelorus notched a comfortable win, 58-47, but tonight the table were turned.

Harlequins looked likely from the outset, middies Paige O’Brien and Bridget Gane, plus goal attack Lauren Murray, feeding the ball cleverly into the circle to shooter Jorja Bacchus, who landed 34 of her 39 attempts for an 87 percent average.

Defensively, Quins were also sound, circle defenders Wendy Trolove and Delyth James-Sitters, plus Natalie Spence and Wiri Bristowe, who shared wing defence duties, working hard throughout to keep the ball away from Pelorus shooters Anel Moli and Courtney Taufa, both teams enjoying an equal share of possession.

Stormy Tupara was influential in midcourt for Pelorus, while middies Olivia Brown and Liv Matthews battled hard to turn the tide.

By halftime Quins led by six, a lead they maintained at three quarter time. An early burst saw them pull out to a 10-goal lead midway through the final quarter before the three-time champs staged a late comeback, a string of turnovers cutting the lead to just two with four minutes to play and causing nervous palpitations among the Quins’ faithful.

However, it was Harlequins’ day, maintaining their composure and setting up two late pressure goals to Bacchus, which gave them a four-point buffer as the final hooter sounded.

They may have picked up a bonus point for finishing within five, but Pelorus will be less than satisfied with their effort and have been firmly put on notice that there are teams in the competition who will punish anything below their best work.

This was Quins’ best showing of the season, underlining their ability to control a game from the outset. They will be buoyed by this effort as the competition nears the halfway stage.

The early game was also highly-competitive, Marlborough Girls’ College holding their collective nerve to get the better of Tokomaru 46-42.

This was also tight throughout, both sides having periods of ascendancy with MGC holding a slender two-point advantage going in the final quarter.

However, strong finishes have not been Toko’s forte this season and they were unable to lift in the final stages, while the students, inspired by a top effort from Sophia Nicholas, did just that,

Nicholas had help though, defenders Georgie Fissenden, Jah’Bree MacDonald and Violet Speakman ensuring any ball Toko worked into the circle was hard-fought.

Isla Watene continues to grow in midcourt, as does Sophie Moore, while Jaye Wiapo demonstrated a strong allround game.

At stages, it appeared Toko were about to break their win drought in 2026, with Kayla Wilson at goal attack and goal defence Ellen Barr showing the way, but they were unable to create the sort of scoreboard pressure that would inhibit their young rivals.

The evening’s final match-up saw Central beaten 61-45 by the Invitation side. The Light Blues were highly-competitive for the majority of the match, trailing by just 10 at the three-quarter mark, but the weight of possession told in the end, the Mixed team putting up 87 shots to Central’s 71.

Sophie Robinson and Katie Cunningham caught the eye for Central with Sam Pearson and Aston Underwood dominating their areas for the Mixed crew.

Scores:

MGC Liquid Action 46 (Sophia Nicholas 21/23, Amelia Hood 6/10, Jaye Wiapo 19/24) Tokomaru Crafar Crouch 42 (Dana Wilson 12/19, Kayla Wilson 13/16, Naomi Fowler 17/25). Quarter scores – winning team first: 12-12, 9-12, 14-9, 11-9.

Mixed Invitation 61 (Shiloh Walsh 7/14, Luke Richardson 31/41, Jacob Collins 23/32) Central Gill Construction 45 (Celine Barnes 15/26, Bobby Childs 22/30, Liv Pinkerton 8/15). Quarter scores – winning team first: 12-9, 17-12, 15-13, 17-11.

Harlequins Totalspan 47 (Jorja Bacchus 34/39, Lauren Murray 13/23) Pelorus Edridge Contracting 43 (Courtney Taufa 15/21, Anel Moli 28/39). Quarter scores – winning team first: 15-10, 12-11, 12-12, 8-10.