ANA 2023: A dominant 19-goal first quarter guides Narrikup to convincing victory over Griffins in round nine

A brilliant start was the catalyst for Narrikup 1 scoring their sixth win of the Albany Netball Association A1 competition on Saturday afternoon. Narrikup’s percentage-boosting victory helps maintain their place at the top of the standings with five rounds left in the regular season. Shooters Daisy Stewart Morgan and Rylee Davis feasted on their side’s early dominance, combining for 19 goals. The outstanding first quarter set the tone for Narrikup and they went on to beat Griffins 1 by 29 goals at the final whistle. Kristie Slater and Sarah Horgan produced strong first halves as Narrikup led by 10 goals at quarter-time and then extended that margin to 15 by the long break. Defenders Maryann McLeod and Laura Tugwell kept Griffins to only nine goals in the third, to effectively end any slim hope of a comeback. Narrikup scored 22 goals at the other end in a prolific third stanza and the shooting combination of Davis and Stewart Morgan added 13 in the final term to seal the result. Griffins toiled hard in the fourth quarter and were outscored by only one goal but they simply couldn’t contain the Narrikup shooters. Narrikup coasted to a 72-43 win and hold top spot by percentage over reigning premiers Royals Saints 1. Royals Saints also notched a sixth win of the season and are locked in an exciting battle with Narrikup and Bullets 1 for a top two spot. Just two points separate the three teams but Royals Saints emerged 10-goal winners of their round nine clash on Saturday. Bullets led by a single goal at quarter-time, however, Royals Saints hit back in the second with 14 goals to four to wrestle back control. The second half was a tight affair, Royals Saints outscoring their rivals by a single goal on their way to a 50-40 triumph. In the other A1 fixture Magpies 1 escaped with a tense three-goal win against Kangas 1. Scores were level at the final change but Magpies won the fourth term seven goals to four, to secure a 42-39 victory. As a result Magpies jumped back into the top four with their fourth win of 2023.