Netball Technical given fright by tyro team

Press, 23 April 1979, Page 22

Netball Technical given fright by tyro team

The opening round of Canterbury’s senior netball competition suggested that this season could mark the end of Technical's supremacy.

The first major upset of the season was its near defeat by the relatively inexperienced Teachers’ College team. The equalising goal, which saved Technical from defeat, came as the final whistle blew. Sacred Heart A defeated Hagley and showed that it once again would be a force with which to be reckoned. St Nicholas, last season’s run-ner-up, showed it had lost none of its touch in beating Riccarton and taking top score in Saturday's round. The closeness of the other games indicated that this season’s competition games will be exciting spectator sport. Technical A 20, Teachers* College 20

Technical scored the opening goal but from that moment, control of the game belonged to College. Fielding an untried team, it rose superbly to the challenge of pitting its skills against those of last year’s competition winner.

Technical’s forward line, disrupted by the departures of Robin Foster and Frances j Granger, lacked its usual fire. 1

College’s Jane Eddington combined well with Cia Stenstrom and they were responsible for interception after interception giving the Technical shooters, Vicki Paterson and Jane McMeekan, little chance to shoot let alone net goals. With some fine mid-court play from Lyn Menzies and Jody Roberts, College’s shooters were given plenty of ball from which the goal-shooter. Ann Leggat scored.

With each College player marking hard, going for every loose ball and dominating rebounds. College piled on .the goals establishing a healthy 10goal advantage. At half-time, it looked to have the edge at 13-3. The second half opened with Technical fighting back with six goals in as many minutes. Maxine Blomquist seemed to be in all places at once reversing play at each opportunity. McMeeken and Paterson out-dodged and outthought Eddington and Stenstrom and the quick scoring rate was their reward.

College’s centre throw-off was broken on several occasions, the forwards being hemmed in by Blomquist and the wing defence, Ann Wills.

McMeeken, a New Zealand under-21 basketball representa-

tlve. was in fine shooting form.. She made rebound after rebound! on her unsuccessful attempts and i turned them into points. Burnside 31, Cashmere 22 The game started with play staying pretty much in mid-court. But after some minutes, the passes became longer and play began to How quickly, each team scoring from their own throwoffs with good passing and handling. Cashmere's shooters, Susanne Ballantyne and Sally Marshall, did not make the most of their rebound opportunities, allowing Burnside the possession from unsuccessful shots. Burnside’ centre, Kay Scott, was elusive and gave her opponent. Jane Drew, some trouble. Scott was always there to take the pass and send it on to her unmarked team-mates. Margaret Hewinson, who had played for Burnside B in the previous game, was a solid and reliable goal-keeper and was an adequate replacement for her injured team mate and Canterbury representative. Wai Taumaunu. Cashmere, the underdog, acquitted itself admirably and went i into the second half with a fighting chance with the score at 12i all. Cashmere’s goal-defence, Dianne Martin, played consistently well and gave her opponent, Deidre Snow, little room to move. She also dropped back cleverly to provide extra support for the goal-keeper. Carol Burns, who had difficulty containing the former New Zealand player, Adrienne Prattley. Cashmere seemed to run out of steam in the second half and Burnside slowly increased its scoring rate while its defenders forced the Cashmere shooters into errors and the margin widened. Sacred Heart B 35, Burnside B 26 Burnside B, weakened by the absence, through sickness, of its strongest team member, the goaidefence, Alice Bendall, held Sacred Heart B well in the early stages. Play was scrappy, neither side controlling the ball well. Loose balls were fought over and movement through the court was slow. Neither side appeared able to establish its pattern of play. The replacement defence for Burnside. Kirsty Loy did well to contain the more experienced Sue Costello and the scoring rate was slow. Sacred Heart’s defence was disappointing. The goal-defence, Viv Ritchie, and the ’keeper, Margaret Taylor, appeared to lack cohesion in the circle and missed rebounds that should have been theirs. Both teams showed a lack of match play and early-eason fitness which is so necessary in the senior competition. The score of 12-alI at half time was indicative of the evenness of play and low scoring. The lack of flow in the second half can be attributed to lapses in. team combination with moves breaking down because of lack of communication between teammates’. The forwards from both teams outplayed the defences and the Burnside trio of Debbie Bergin, Elspeth Hobson and Penny Russell moved with precision, giving their shooters every opportunity. Midway through the second

half Sacred Heart lifted its play. It moved the ball well down court and enabled its accurate shooters, Costello and Dianna Sullivan, to established a good lead.

St Nicholas 38, Riccarton 25 Sure ball handling and fluid court moves characterised the match between Riccarton and St Nicholas. Both teams used the long two-handed shoulder passes to good effect.

Plav was even throughout the court but the impeccable shooting of Ann Davidson gave St Nicholas the edge. She was well supported by a newcomer to senior netball, Liz Brown, who fed the circle with skill and was equally at home on defence, taking several well-timed interceptions in mid-court to swing play.

Riccarton’s defence dropped back on to Davidson in an effort to contain the scoring rate in the second half. However, it made little difference as Davidson managed to step around them with comparative ease. A lapse in concentration allowed Riccarton more possession and Bridget Hishon was quick to score.

St Nicholas’s centre, Lyn McClelland, had a sound second half and her lovely long passes from the centre were well directed to the hands of either Brown or Davidson. Both teams showed they would be a force to be reckoned with this season, playing clean open netball.

Sacred Heart A 29, Hagley 27 The game opened briskly and Sacred Heart A scored In the first few seconds. It looked the best-drilled team of all the

senior teams at this stage o season and the rapport bet

and the goal-attack, Jenny W. was excellent considering tthey are both newcomers to t teain.

Heta out-jumped her oppose number and gained possessior and repossession constant l> Hagley’s Genae Kotae. a Nev Zealand representative, warattled by Sacred Heart’s double defence. Jenny Redman, Sacred Heart's goal-keeper, who is in her first year out of school an a first-year senior netballer, wa> possible more formidable than Katae had bargained tor.

Although Hagley boasts thiee New Zealand representatives in Kotae, Chris Pietzner and Jar co Henderson, they were starved of the possession tl?ey needed to use their skills.

Hagley decided to play Sacred Heart at its own game* in the second half, and placed a doubledefence on the shooter, Het i somewhat of a compliment tc her. This, of course, left Will.' unmarked and she made the most of it.

Pietzner, at centre for Haglev was everywhere: she was quick moving and toiled hard, am linked her team up well in mid court.

By midway through the secon half. Sacred Heart had whittlcc away Hagley’s lead and ha taken it for itself. Still Het? could not do a thing wrong with casual shots from the edge of the circle not even touching as they went through the ring. Hagley put in a last ditch effort to retrieve the game and scored five quick goals but time ran out and gave Sacred Heart a close but well-deserved victory.