Netball leaders pushed hard

It was business as usual for the top teams in the Marlborough premier netball competition tonight, Harlequins, Pelorus and the Mixed Invitational side notching up victories.

However, their wins were not achieved without a struggle. Both Harlequins and Pelorus had played two hard matches against Nelson opposition on Sunday, fixtures that had taken some of the sting out of them with a short turnaround.

Pelorus were first up tonight, taking on the Marlborough Girls’ College crew, who pushed them all the way. MGC, with shooter Amelia Hood and defender Violet Speakman to the fore, held the defending champs to a three-goal margin at halftime and an upset looked possible.

However, the Dark Blues are made of stern stuff and, with Courtney Taufa and Bex Mark playing prominent roles, pressed harder in the final two quarters and came away with a 44-29 victory in a low-scoring clash.

The second game saw the Mixed Invitation side get up over Tokomaru 51-40. This was a highly entertaining match-up, the Mixed side playing their fast and loose style for periods of the game, then reverting to a more orthodox attack when required. The skills of Jacob Collins and Aston Underwood caught the eye as they held onto their unbeaten record.

Toko enjoyed three strong quarters, winning the first 15 minutes before an 18-6 scoreline in the second period opened up a gap they could not bridge, despite sterling work from Dakota Tepuia, Dana Wilson and Kayla Hebberd.

The best match of the evening came last, Harlequins having to dig deep to see off a Central side who looked like winners for much of the match.

With former Tactix player Brooke Leaver leading the way, and demonstrating her versatility with stints as GS, GA and GK, they won the first two quarters to lead 31-27 at halftime. However, Quins produced a game-changing 10-1 scoring streak late in the third quarter which quickly turned a four-goal deficit on its head.

With possession shared during the final quarter Quins were able to hold on and rack up a gutsy win against a side who will be keen to have a say in the final shakedown.

Quins' best were Wendy Trolove, who missed Sunday’s games, and Wiri Bristowe, who stepped up as GS after Jorja Bacchus left the game early with a knee injury.

Sophie Robinson and Kelsie Fitzpatrick impressed in midcourt for the Blues.

Scores:

Pelorus Edridge Contracting 44 (Courtney Taufa 8/12, Anel Moli 34/42, Mele Moli 2/3) MGC Liquid Action 29 (Amelia Hood 19/28, Izzy Vickery 3/5, Anna Hurren 7/13). Quarter scores – winning team first: 11-7, 8-9, 10-6, 15-7.

Mixed Invitation 51 (Shiloh Walsh 13/23, Luke Richardson 26/34, Jacob Collins 9/12, Sam Pearson 3/4) Tokomaru Crafar Crouch 40 (Dana Wilson 12/24, Kayla Wilson 3/4, Naomi Fowler 10/16, Dakota Tepuia 5/8, Hana Wilson 9/14, Eden Hika 1/2). Quarter scores – winning team first: 10-9, 18-6, 12-10, 11-15.

Harlequins Totalspan 58 (Jorja Bacchus 7/8, Lauren Murray 16/27, Wiri Bristowe 35/51) Central Gill Construction 53 (Celine Barnes 13/23, Liv Pinkerton 2/6, Brooke Leaver 38/48). Quarter scores – winning team first: 11-14, 16-17, 19-11, 12-11.

Points after two weeks of the third round: Harlequins 6, Pelorus 6, Central 1, MGC 0, Tokomaru 0.