Division 1 newcomers NCC Rangers were taught a valuable netball lesson when the finals of the 2011 knockouts were staged at the Netball Stadium on Friday night – don’t knock out Pine Hill St Barnabas unless you can also deal with C.O. Williams Rangers.
Multiple championsC.O. Williams Rangers beat NCC 59-54, with the scoreline being misleading in reflecting the disparity between the new queens and the vanquished.
At times, the winners led by 14 goals and with the game out of reach, NCC’s Lydia Bishop was allowed to sink five successive goals to bring some respectability to the loss.
The difference between the two teams was shown from early after the match was delayed.
NCC turned out with just a starting seven and no-one on their bench. On the other hand, C.O. Williams Rangers had a full complement of players with Harriet Waithe, Sandra Bruce-Small and Denise Morgan providing experienced management.
Ironically, NCC seized the early advantage with the ploy of getting the ball to goal-shooter Bishop paying dividends as the six-footer used her height and girth to outmuscle Sherry Alleyne in the “D” and to sink shots from any position.
Centre Sabreena Smith and Kizzy Marville at wing defence also combined with the physical Chekirah Shepherd to hint of another upset.
However, the netball craft of Alleyne and the other C.O. Williams Rangers’ players limited the passes to Bishop and exposed the weaker goal attack, Joyanne Cooke, who was later switched to wing attack for the robust Pauline Griffith to make a better shooting contribution.
While Bishop struggled to find support in the “D”, C.O. Williams Rangers enjoyed some spectacular plays from their twin attack of Nikita Piggott and the almost-perfect Olivia Walcott.
Seconds after Rangers’ centre Dionne Quarless recovered from a hard fall, she leapt out of the court to save a ball which Piggott sunk with flair to lock the scores for the first time at 12-12.
With the Carifta trials being wrapped up next door at the National Stadium, Barbados’ senior coach Alwyn Babb turned up to assist NCC who had apparently reached their peak as in the second quarter Rangers moved from 12-13, to 30-23.
Nothing thrilled the fans more than when Walcott faked a pass under the ring to bounce the ball off the pole, take the rebound and nonchalantly sink the bomb to carry her team to 43-29.
NCC had no choice but to play the entire match with their seven. However C.O. Willians Rangers opted to keep their starting seven in the same positions with Walcott, goal shoot; Piggott, goal attack; Cheryl Squires, wing attack; Quarless, centre; Ronda Harris, wing defence; Williams, goal keeper’ and captain Janelle Sealy, goal defence carrying out their assignments.
C.O. Williams Rangers trailed 12-13at the end of the first quarter, but led 30-23 and 47-33 at the end of second and third quarters respectively.
Walcott scored 27 goals from 28 attempts and Piggott sunk 32 of 39 for C.O. Willians Rangers. Bishop led all scorers with 46 of 54 while Griffith made seven of ten and Cooke added one goal from three attempts for NCC Rangers.
