Kangas shoot clear in second half

A dominant second half has helped Kangas 2 notch their first win of the 2017 Albany Netball Association A1 competition, downing a brave Narrikup 1 by 11 goals in round 3 on Saturday afternoon.

Kangas led by a single goal at quarter-time but Narrikup continued to peg away and, through the work of centre Tamara Ditchburn and forward Jayde Walker, helped them get back on level terms by half-time.

Narrikup’s strong zone in the first half was troubling the new-look Kangas side as the influence of defenders Tina Mundy and Tanya McLennan was clearly telling.

However, in the third term, Kangas started getting more drive out of centre court as Stacey Rogers and youngster Caitlin Ward helped their side skip clear.

Monique Nicholson sat off the second term but reunited with her usual forward partner Shelby Upson as Kangas outscored Narrikup 12 goals to eight in the pivotal third term.

Kangas were able to maintain their four-goal lead early in the final quarter and as the game wore on, their margin extended, with Rogers and fill-in player Skye Woods both impressive as they scored 11 goals to four in the last.

Rogers was terrific in mid-court across the four quarters, while Woods played well at both goal defence and wing defence in the 39-28 victory to go with solid contributions from Ward and Nicholson.

Walker spent two quarters in centre and was lively throughout, while Narrikup were also well served by Mundy and McLennan, but their side was left to rue a disappointing second half.

Meanwhile, Royals Saints 1 remains the only undefeated team in the competition after a tense two-goal win over Magpies 1 in their round 3 fixture.

Magpies led comfortably at half-time but the young Royals Saints dug deep to find top gear in the second half and come away with a hard-fought two-goal win at the final whistle.

Royals Saints youngster Narelle Humphries helped limit the impact of Magpies star Kelly Judd and fellow young mid-court player Sophie Lynch was opposed to Judd in the last term as her side hit the front in an entertaining contest.

The other fixture between Bethel 1 and Grammar 1 was rescheduled, while reigning premiers Kangas 1 had the bye.