Under 13B – Zodiacs V Hobitz

The cold winter morning settled in as the Under 13B’s returned to the netball court for round 11 of the Mount Gambier Netball Association season.

The young Zodiacs and Hobitz sides went head to head on Saturday morning and played a great game.

In the first half of the match, the defensive plays were well thought out, especially Ariana Ebbs (wing attack), Zoe Little (wing defence), Emilia Lindner and Kayla Cameron (goal keeper) for Zodiacs.

They enjoyed a good battle with Ava Edwards (goal defence) and Maliya Wingard (centre) for Hobitz.

These players went straight to the ball, taking big leaps into the air and roaming around the court.

The need to make space was hard amongst the players, while wanting to get the ball was evident, but making the space to get the ball down the court proved difficult for the sides.

Cameron would often find it hard to pinpoint options but nevertheless, the ball found a way into the Zodiacs’ ring.

At half time, the game had even score of 6 all and the added refreshment with lollies and fruit was something these players needed.

Ebbs who stepped into the goal shooter position played extremely well in the third quarter, leading and getting in front to pass the ball down and entertained with a fist bump and curtsey to the crowd when scoring her first goal.

Centre Tayah Fraser played wonderful in her position in the quarter also.

Edwards played in the goal keeper position in the third quarter and Paige Mutton played in the position in the final term with both these players executing well, defending the ring well against the Zodiacs’ shooters.

Even in the final minutes of the game the players were still chasing the ball and running their hearts out, but the game ended with a final score of 14-8, Zodiacs way.

B1 – Intruders Orange

v Hobitz Blue

With a change of scenery from a cold winter morning to a seemingly warmed up afternoon, the Hobitz Blue team faced a tough Intruders Orange outfit.

The Intruders were on a quick pace for most of the game and showed how defensive they could be against Hobitz, especially from Caitlyn Shephard in goal defence.

Melissa Norman (goal shooter) and Chernita Goldsmith (goal attack) shot well against Hobitz in the game, making space in the goal circle and completing rebounds well. It almost seemed like the ball was delicately dropping into their hands with ease.

Aimee Kilpatrick and Sharni Jacques starred in the shooting positions for Hobitz and played good games, making space and trying to get the ball at any opportunity they could.

The Intruders were running far and wide up and down the court for almost the entire game, with Shephard and Diana Bradbury were defending like no tomorrow underneath the Hobitz ring.

Every miss of the ring, Bradbury and Shephard would jump into the air and immediately fight for the loose ball.

The Hobitz still fought hard during the match, never giving up.

When the half time whistle was blown, Intruders were sitting comfortably on a 24-7 lead thanks to the 12 goals that Goldsmith put up in the second quarter.

When the second half got under way it was clear the only thing these players had on their minds was to use every chance or advantage they could find to score a goal.

The teams saw a bit of a slowdown in the third quarter but saw a burst come through in the final one.

The ball was being passed around quickly and swiftly as Nikki McRae joined the court and instantly made an impact, shooting nine goals in the fourth quarter and getting around well in her third and the goal circle.

The game ended up with a scoreline of 45-19 in favour of Intruders.

Saints 15 Years

This round also marked celebration of 15 years of the Saints Netball Club.

I was fortunate enough to talk to Saints president Paige Carter, who has held in the role for the last two years.

Carter said the most memorable moment in the club’s history was having one, if not two or more teams in grand finals for 12 out of their 15 years.

Her proudest moment has been working alongside the ‘amazing’ committee to be able to celebrate their 15 years, making memories and being part of the club’s fun events.

Ms Carter said she adored watching the juniors shine bright on the court and her best player would be Rhiannon Christian (Primmer) .

She achieved best on court in an A Grade premiership at the age of 15 and has not played a season without winning the club best and fairest award.

She described her as a calm, hard-working defender who junior players looked up to.

Carter said the club was like one big family and always looked out for one another.

“We have long standing members because we are a fun, warming club,” she said.

“People often thank us as a club for welcoming their families with open arms.

“We have worked hard over these 15 years to bring a happy, safe environment for people to play netball.

“We pride ourselves on respect, hard work and family. Always have, always will.

“It was an amazing achievement for the club.”