Honiton Netball League’s final round of matches before the start of the play-offs took place on the final Monday of January, writes Steph Upson.

In Division One, Otters, the previous week’s table-toppers, were in action against a Hi Q side that led by four goals at the end of the first quarter.

The second and third quarter saw them maintain a similar goal difference as they continued to lead despite some excellent attacking work from Otters and particularly Rebecca Bess. In the final quarter, Hi Q pushed further ahead with some accurate shooting from Laura French resulting in them netting 10 goals and only conceding three to leave Hi Q handsome 35-23 winners.

Hot Shots and Flamingos kept spectators on their toes during their close match.

Hot Shots initially took the lead with some fine work from their centre – Martha Halse – and were winning by a mere three goals by the end of the second quarter.

However, Flamingos returned refreshed and on form in the third quarter; not only did they catch up with Hot Shots, but they also managed to overtake and end the third quarter leading marginally by two goals.

Olivia Warwick’s work as wing defence helped Flamingos to turn around the score and go into the lead. The last quarter was tense, with the teams taking it in turns to lead, but Hot Shots managed to push through to scoop the three points, winning 39-36.

The final Division One game was the one between Panthers and Blackdown.

Panthers got off to a great start and ended the first quarter 8-3. Panthers worked hard on their defending and were able to take advantage of any mistakes made by Blackdown. This, teamed with solid attacking and accurate shooting (especially from Isla Quick), meant that Panthers continued to keep a strong lead throughout the entire game, resulting in them winning 32-11. Rachel Hopkins was highlighted as Blackdown’s Player Of The Match, for her determination and fine work as goal attack.

In Division Two, Honeyz were thrilled to pick up a substantial win and three points in their game against Jurassics.

Honeyz managed to net an incredible 12 goals in the first quarter, which means a goal every minute of the period! Jurassics worked determinedly and managed to maintain some steady goals of their own throughout the first three quarters. However, this wasn’t enough to contend with the excellent centre court play from Honeyz.

The team managed to continuously feed the ball into the semi-circle, allowing Vicky Henwood (Honeyz’ goal shooter) to continue with her accurate and skilful shooting. The final score stood at 36-13. Karen Bennett’s interceptions and work as wing defence saw her named as Jurassics’ POTM meanwhile Louise Welch (goal attack) was the chosen player for Honeyz.

Elsewhere in Division Two, Beer Blazers and JD Tyres met at Colyon for their match.

Both teams were playing well – there was quick movement down the court from both sides. Ash Taylor, as the Blazer’s goal defence, managed to intercept many balls, stopping JD Tyres from getting the ball into the shooting circle. The Blazers took advantage of these interceptions with their mid court players working collaboratively to get the ball into their shooters.

From the first quarter, Blazers took the lead, which they kept hold of throughout the entire match despite an excellent defensive display from Jennie Briant as goal defence. In the final quarter, JD Tyres worked solidly and managed to only concede two goals whilst narrowing the goal difference by netting goals for themselves. Although it was a determined end to the game, it was not enough to catch and overtake the goals previously scored by the Blazers, who won 26-19.

The final match to report is that of Otter Valley and Pixies. The game play echoes that of previously reported Flamingos and Hot Shot. Pixies held the lead for the first two quarters and Georgie Selley stood out for her work as centre for Pixies, but Otter Valley caught up in the third quarter ending it as a draw with some great work from Catherine Phillips. This meant it was all to play for going into the final quarter. It was a fantastic battle between the two teams with Pixies pipping Otter Valley to the post, eventually winning 26-22.

Tables

Division One P W D L F A Pts

TNC Otters 9 7 1 1 333 203 24

Hi Q 9 7 0 2 318 162 23

HNC Hot Shots 9 7 0 2 350 242 23

Sidmouth Chicks 9 7 0 2 291 200 23

Flamingos 9 6 1 2 315 193 22

Sidmouth Toucans 9 4 0 5 263 306 15

Panthers 9 3 0 6 226 268 12

Blackdown 9 2 0 7 142 296 6

High Tide 9 1 0 8 153 309 4

HNC 3 T’s 9 0 0 9 164 376 3

Division Two P W D L F A Pts

Sidmouth Eagles 9 9 0 0 298 149 27

Beer Blazers 9 8 0 1 288 149 25

SSW 9 7 0 2 330 218 23

JD Tyres 9 4 1 4 196 175 18

Pixies 9 5 0 4 204 175 15

Cranbrook Arrows 9 4 0 5 190 194 15

Otter Valley 9 3 0 6 171 164 10

HNC Honeyz 9 2 1 6 127 251 9

TNC Tornados 9 1 0 8 128 221 7

Jurassic’s 9 1 0 8 77 313 3

Player of the Match award winners: Hi Q - Laura French; TNC Otters - Rebecca Bess; HNC Hot Shots - Martha Halse; Flamingos - Olivia Warwick; Panthers - Isla Quick; Blackdown - Rachel Hopkins; JD Tyres - Jennie Briant; Beer Blazers - Ash Taylor; Pixies - Georgie Selley; Otter Valley - Cathrine Perry; Jurassic’s - Karen Bennett; HNC Honeyz - Louise Welch.