Netball: Remarkables blow leads

Remarkables goal keep Zoe Walker battles with Cook Strait goal shoot Te Amo Amaru-Tibble as...
Remarkables goal keep Zoe Walker battles with Cook Strait goal shoot Te Amo Amaru-Tibble as Sanita To'o looks on, during a Lois Muir Netball Challenge match at the Edgar Centre in Dunedin yesterday. Photo by Craig Baxter.
Inexperience cost the combined Otago-Southland Lois Muir Challenge team as much as anything else, coach Noeline Scott said.

Her young side played some quite delightful netball in patches but blew handy leads in the fourth quarter to lose tight games to Western yesterday morning and Cook Strait in the afternoon.

"We just lacked some composure under pressure," Scott said shortly after her side's 51-48 defeat by Cook Strait.

"I think it just comes down to experience. We're quite a young team with just one or two back from last year and we are still learning how to cope in those situations."

The Remarkables led Cook Strait for the majority of the match. They outscored their opponent 16-8 in the second period, with centre Gina Crampton controlling the tempo beautifully. Promising goal keep Zoe Walker had an outstanding game on defence and generated plenty of ball, and goal attack Emma Kirkpatrick (27 from 38) also displayed some nice touches.

Goal shoot Kirsten Craig played second fiddle but she was supremely accurate with 21 goals from 23 attempts.

The home side's lead was cut to four goals in the third period. The visiting team piled on the pressure to take the lead shortly after the resumption.

The earlier game followed a similar pattern. The Remarkables led Western 40-35 with a quarter remaining but were outscored 15-9, to lose 50-49.

In the other match, former Pulse shooter Te Amo Amaru-Tibble scored 45 goals from 52 attempts to help Cook Strait beat Western 64-51.

The tournament will conclude in Wellington next weekend. The Remarkables will play four games in two days. Auckland-Waitakere leads the competition with three consecutive wins.

 

 

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