Pelorus, MGC bag netball wins

Round three of the Marlborough premier netball competition began in predictable fashion at Stadium 2000 tonight.

Competition leaders Pelorus maintained their momentum heading into the finals with a 40-30 win over Harlequins while the Marlborough Girls’ College team accounted for Awatere 64-26.

In the third match, with no competition points at stake, Tokomaru Crafar Crouch, the defending champions, held on to inflict the first defeat of the season on clubmates Tokomaru Picton Motordrome, winning 52-50.

The early game was far from a classic, the low score reflecting the scrappy, unstructured nature of the clash.

Defence was to the fore with Pelorus keeper Jalen King in outstanding form, plucking a series of interceptions out of the air and reading play intelligently. She was ably assisted by GD Riana Burger and WD Jordan Peipi. Millie Wensley made a strong impression when she entered the match at WA after the first quarter while Karli Murphy showed a cool head under the hoop.

Quins trailed 32-18 at halftime after a couple of sloppy quarters but lifted their game from then on. The arrival of GA Simone Pederson steadied the ship as they drew the third quarter and won the last to close to within 10. Bridget Gane worked tirelessly in midcourt, along with the lively Ella Donald while Olivia and Sophie Robinson, plus Cerys James-Sitters ensured Pelorus were made to pay for any inaccuracy.

At the end of August the MGC side will take on the South Island’s best secondary school teams at the SISS champs in Timaru and have shown in recent weeks they are shaping up nicely to be a very competitive outfit.

They dominated tonight’s match against the Tussocks from the outset, winning all four quarters convincingly. Their attack was spearheaded by the sharp shooting of Fiaalii Solomona who dropped in 51 of her 58 attempts. Her shooting circle partnership with Zoe Scaife is also starting to play dividends.

In midcourt the lively trio of Mele Moli, Lesieli Taufa and Stormy Tupara injected speed and precision when required.

At the back, Holly Feltham, skipper Mya Wiapo and Liv Matthews were a constant threat to Awatere’s attack.

The Tussocks again played well in patches but were unable to maintain possession and create scoring runs.

Claudia Ryan, Nicole Witterick and Lou Westenra were their best on a tough night.

The evening’s final match went right down to the wire.

At three quarter time, with Crafar Crouch leading by 12 and scoring comfortably, the result appeared a foregone conclusion. However, Picton Motordrome roared back into the match, stringing together a 9-0 run of goals to set up an exciting finish.

Marlborough’s 2020 player of the year Haze Tepuia guested for Motordrome, shooting at 100 percent before moving to defence for the final quarter. Paige Materoa had a busy evening in midcourt while Tash Ford underlined her defensive skills in the GD and GK bibs.

Gemma Hika continued her hot form for Crafar Crouch, landing 38 from 43 attempts, while her side welcomed back pivotal midcourter Hana Wilson from injury. Geneva Hoggard and Wiri Bristowe stood strong on defence for the defending champs whose confidence will have been boosted by tonight’s result.

Scores

Tokomaru Crafar Crouch Picton 52 (Gemma Hika 38/43, Kayla Wilson 14/17) Tokomaru Picton Motordrome 50 (Ricci Higgins 16/25, Haze Tepuia 23/23, Luke Richardson 11/15) Quarter scores (winning team first): 16-9, 19-13, 11-12, 6-16.

Marlborough Girls’ College NZ King Salmon 64 (Fiaalii Solomona 51/58, Zoe Scaife 13/20) Awatere Clarence River Rafting 26 (Kimberly McCabe 20/39, Ashley Childs 6/12). Quarter scores: 14-6, 17-7, 14-6, 19-7.

Pelorus Edridge Contracting 40 (Paige Lovell 23/37, Karli Murphy 17/21) Harlequins New World 30 (Simone Pedersen 14/19, Hayley Marfell 4/7, Liv Hodson 12/17). Quarter scores: 10-5, 14-5, 8-8, 8-12.

Third round standings: Pelorus 3, MGC 3, Harlequins 0, Awatere 0.