Match night 10 of the Honiton Netball League (HNL) was once again hit by the weather, writes Steph Upson.

League chairperson Kirsty Trude summed up the frustrations of everybody when she said: "With the threat of rain looming, the HNL teams commenced their 7pm fixtures hoping rain would hold off. However, it didn't take long for the heavy showers to arrive and a combination of the rain and the cold temperature meant the safest thing to do was to abandon the outdoor games at half-time."

She continued: "With league rules as they are it does mean that 50 per cent of the match night outdoor fixtures were completed and we keep our fingers crossed for no more cancellations prior to Christmas!"

The Division One meeting between Hi Q and Jaguars was one of the matches abandoned at half-time and, with third-in-the-table Hi Q leading 23-3 at the time, it means that Jaguars will have to wait to try and claim their first win of the campaign.

The Player of the Match awards went to Stacey Salter, the HI Q centre and Jaguars' goal shooter Flossie Plowden.

Hi Qs success means that they now top the table, a position they share with HNC Hotshots, who they top by a margin of three goals in terms of goal difference!

There was just the one Division Two match played and this was the meeting of Otter Valley and Tornadoes.

The contest began at good pace, but Otter Valley, with Pippa Salter the driving force from centre, netted more goals and held an 8-4 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Tornadoes, led by the impressive Katherine Pankiwicz, hit back in the second quarter and, when play was abandoned, Otter Valley's lead had been pegged back to one of two goals at 12-10. With that being deemed the 'final score' it means the three points go to Otter Valley who now sit third in the table while Tornadoes are up from bottom spot to fifth.

Division Three was not weather affected for their matches were played indoors at Colyton.

Table-topping HNC Heat defeated Sidmouth Kites 36-12 and, in this contest, the Player of the Match awards went to Lois Norman of HNC Heat and Annie Dunn of Kites, who remain fourth after this latest defeat.

There was a nail-biting match when Cranbrook White Arrows took on ONC Firecrackers. From the first whistle both teams applied plenty of tempo and quick movement down the court from both sides, combined with some slick interceptions in both halves of the court. The game saw goals scored on a regular basis throughout the first half, which fittingly ended all square at 7-7.

In the second half, Firecrackers, who began the day sitting bottom of the table, took control and, with goal defence Natalie Pepperell impressing, went on to win the match 20-14. For White Arrows, who remain fifth after this defeat, goalkeeper Lucy Downing was the stand-out player.

Tables after the week 10 matches

Division One P W D L GF GA Pts

HiQ 4 4 0 0 128 44 12

HNC Hotshots 4 4 0 0 170 89 12

Blackdown 4 3 0 1 148 115 10

SNC Eagles 3 2 0 1 118 85 7

SNC Toucans 4 1 0 2 88 118 5

Panthers 5 1 0 2 109 176 5

Signs Southwest 4 1 0 1 111 165 4

Jaguars 4 0 0 2 70 148 0

Division Two P W D L GF GA Pts

HNC 4 4 0 0 105 86 11

Beer Blazers 4 3 0 1 127 94 10

Otter Valley 4 2 0 2 97 87 8

Slick Chicks 4 2 0 2 106 121 8

Tornados 4 1 0 3 74 86 6

Trident 4 1 0 3 78 100 6

Black Arrows 3 1 0 2 74 80 5

Ridge Roofing 5 2 0 3 110 117 5

Division Three P W D L GF GA Pts

HNC Heat 5 5 0 0 197 75 15

Jurassics 3 3 0 0 78 35 9

HNC Honey Z 5 2 0 3 114 119 9

SNC Kites 4 2 0 2 56 92 6

White Arrows 3 1 0 2 64 84 4

ONC Firecrackers 3 1 0 2 49 91 4

ONC Flaming Barrels 2 0 0 2 49 66 2

AHC 3 0 0 3 27 78 1