The Gloucester Twilight competition one netball grand final was held on June 29 in the Recreation Centre due to wet weather. Team Black, led by captain Cara Grusinga, headed into the match as favourites, having been undefeated all season.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Black were against the Red team, captained by Sally Maslen, who managed to win five of their last six games to sneak into the grand final game.
The last time to two sides met there was only one point in it with Black coming out on top in that game, so it was sure to be a thriller.
The first quarter was a close tussle with the defensive players in great touch with Sally Maslen and Tayla Prededon for Red a standout and Marnie Barkwill and Courtney Whitby for Black.
The shooters for both teams struggled to get the ball through the ring with the score 8-6 to Black at the first break. Cara Grusinga was on target in this quarter, scoring all eight goals for Black.
Red stepped it up in the second quarter with Rhys Cox and Jess Anniwell pairing well in the shooting circle to bring the scores back to 15 all at half time. Tara Relf and Hannah Yates were a standout in the centre of the court by directing play with numerous intercepts by players from both teams keeping the game at a fast and furious pace. Jonah Mason was impressive in defense and collected a number of rebounds and intercepts during the game.
In the third quarter, Red dug deep and played solid netball in all areas. The Black shooters struggled in this quarter with Meegan Johnson working hard to gain position in the shooting circle, but the defensive pressure proved too strong.
At the end of the third quarter Red were ahead by four goals.
In the last quarter, Black needed to start strong but unfortunately lost some momentum with a few stray passes not hitting the mark.
They tried hard to get back into the game, but the Red’s lead was too great. The final score was 34-26. Well played everyone and thanks to the spectators that came along to watch and cheer on the netballers.
Presentation of trophies followed the game. Maddy Higgins and Neve O’Brien were awarded the encouragement awards for competition one.
Both players have been improving each week and always try their best.
The committee made a special presentation to Tara Relf who has recently moved south but returned to play in the finals of netball. Tara has been on the netball committee for a number of years and will be missed both on and off the court.
All the best Tara.
Thanks to the umpires and scorers each week and to all the players who signed up for the Twilight comp this season. It was frustrating with the rainy weather hampering play on Wednesday nights.
The next competition will commence on August 9 so get your names down on Facebook,
Messenger or at the clubhouse on a Saturday morning.