NETBALL: Gems sink Saturn

SYDENHAM Gems battled to a five-point victory over local rivals Saturn on Saturday.

Saturn began the first quarter with great drive and determination which meant the Gems players had to quickly step up their game.

Gems had to work extremely hard against a strong Saturn defence – with Amy Whitcombe and Kelly Thorne working well together to bring the ball down the centre court.

With great team communication and commitment, Gems pulled it out of the bag to win the game 42-37.

Umpires player went to Kerry Fellows.

Player of the match to Justine Pearn.

Bridgwater Jupiter 86, Tor Knights 40

JUPITER continued their impressive form with an emphatic victory over Tor Knights.

A nervous tension was soon brushed aside after a few minutes following some superb defensive work from Lisa Lukins and Sammy Kemmish.

Fantastic communication and timely interceptions allowed Jupiter to take the first quarter 17- 10.

Some changes to the Knights line-up in the second quarter did not faze Jupiter and some inspired centre court play from captain Baylea Charles and Beckie Cowley ensured the ball was brought down the court fluently.

Going into the third quarter 38-21, Jupiter set themselves targets to ensure Knights could not gain points by gaining half of their score.

The final quarter saw Jupiter filled with confidence and purpose. Leading 62-31 going into the final quarter the shooters were determined to reach the 80-goal mark.

Saturn 56, Sydenham Sapphires 42

BRIDGWATER Saturn took local bragging rights with a 56-42 victory over Sapphires.

The home team had a strong start with some well-controlled play and great movement throughout the court.

This was followed by a shaky second quarter performance, allowing Sydenham Sapphires to pull the score back up to even.

Changes were made at half-time and Bridgwater Saturn went on to have their best quarter, gaining a 10-goal lead.

Joint player of the match Becky Palmer (GA) and Sarah Perry (GS) put on a fantastic shooting partnership to ensure victory. Sapphires player of the match went to Justine Pearn.

Neptune 38, Rubies 15

NEPTUNE got off to a slow start against Rubies and struggled to gain any momentum which showed in the first quarter, finishing with Neptune having a one goal lead 6-5.

In the second quarter, Neptune stepped up their game and with accurate shooting from Darcie Dunn (GA) and great movement in the shooting circle by Kayleigh Haste (GS), they increased their lead by 12 to head into half-time leading 18-9.

Rheanne Lee and Megan Buller impressed for Rubies with a number of interceptions – but Neptune began to come on stronger and Rubies lost a little momentum, although there was some great centre court play from Kerry Clark, Sammie Brown and Hannah Wallis.

Going into the third quarter, Rubies started strongly and put Neptune under pressure restricting shooters to only scoring seven.

Neptune defenders of Sally Haysham (GD) and player of the match Lucy Brown (GK) remained strong and again restricted Rubies shooters, finishing third quarter 25-13.

In the final quarter, Neptune remained strong and finished the game 38-15.

Venus 39, Priory 31

AT the end of first quarter, Venus had a small lead as the score was 12-11. Unfortunately, the lead couldn’t be extended and, despite good centre court play from Chris Shaw (WA) and Chloe Trout (C), the two sides were drawing 18-18 at half time.

Outstanding defence from Lucy Brown (GK), Emily Rossiter (GD) and Hollie Cornish (WD) allowed Venus to pull away as the score read 29-22.

In the final quarter, consistent shooting from Sophie Cornish (GS) and Cerys Etheridge (GA) let Venus maintain the lead and win 39-31.

Joint players of the match went to Lucy Brown and Hollie Cornish.

Mars 60, Emeralds 21

MARS dominated this encounter from start to finish and came out strong with accurate shooting and great movement in the circle.

Mars ended the quarter 11-5 and increased their lead to 28-13 at half time.

Strong defensive pressure from the defensive duo of Hana Middleton (GD) and Emily Harwood (GK) stemmed the flow of Emerald’s attack allowing Mars to finish with a 60-21 victory.

With the whole team deserved title of player of the match; the Mars votes went to Cerys Etheridge. Emeralds player vote was awarded to Emma-Louise Ingram and the umpire vote was shared between Michelle Martin and EmmaLouise Ingram.

Mercury 25, Newbarn 34

MERCURY slipped to a narrow nine-point defeat to Newbran on Saturday.

The first quarter started positively at 9-9, with Elaine Bartlett’s (C) impressing.

With Lucy Kyte in WA, Leah Davies in GA and Juste Mockehiunaite in GS – Mercury pulled away to a 19-14 lead at half-time.

Despite working hard continually with no further changes to the team order, the lead slipped away to a third quarter score of 26-23 to Newbarn - and then finally to a 34-25 defeat. Mercury player of the match was Elaine Bartlett.

Gems 42, Tomahawks 35

AFTER a scenic detour and a late arrival, Gems started the first quarter slow but were determined to work hard with their different combination of players.

As Gems settled in the second and third quarters, they managed to pull away and get the vital goals with great shooting from Hannah Clapp and Justine Pearn.

Tomahawks went out fighting in the final quarter and had great support, putting extra pressure on the Gems to keep their lead.

Player of the match went to Hannah Clapp.

Umpires player was Danni Keirle.