Red-hot Kings capture mid-season crown with 32-14 win

Western Bureau:

The red-hot unbeaten Kings captured the first title of the 2010-11 St James Goodwill Open Netball League on Wednesday night when they scored a resounding 32-14 win over Juvvies in the league's mid-season final, which was played at the Montego Bay Cricket Club Courts.

"We came into this final expecting to win, and although we did not play as well as we could we are satisfied with this victory," said Anita Robinson, coach of Kings. "We will now be turning our focus on becoming overall champions of this league."

In a game in which Kings stole the early initiative, looking far more resolute and composed than their opponents, goal shooter Sashalee Gaynor and goal attack Leonie Lawrence combined solidly in an offensive thrust, which saw them winning the first quarter by a 7-2 margin.

Juvvies settled down somewhat in the second quarter but, despite their effort, the fast-moving Kings remained in control, looking increasingly ominous, especially under the hoop. With Gaynor and Lawrence all but flawless in their shooting, Kings took the second quarter 6-3 to establish a solid 13-5 half-time lead.

The youthful Juvvies made a bold attempt to pull themselves back into the game with a resolute third-quarter display, spearheaded by centre Kriss-Ann Seaton and wing attack Serena Virgo. However, Kings refused to give up any ground as they still managed to win the quarter by a close 7-6 margin.

Heading into the final quarter with a comfortable 20-11 lead, Kings went into overdrive with wing attack Roxanna Wallace dominating mid-court and spraying passes to Gaynor and Lawrence, whose shooting accuracy remained near flawless. Kings easily won the quarter 12-3 for their commanding 32-14 margin of victory.

Valuable experience

"We are a young team, and while we lost tonight we gained valuable experience from this game," said Samantha Dennison, coach of Juvvies. "We will now be regrouping with the hope of winning the overall title."

The league, which is being contested by 21 teams divided into three zones, will resume this weekend with games on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, Pacers 'A' will meet Queens and Falmouth Strikers battle Starlight Juniors in a double-header at the Overton Courts, starting at 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., respectively. On Sunday, Sting will take on Barrett Town and Pacers 'B' battle Starlight 'B'.

Bethel, Nampel and Norwood Youth Club, who all failed to honour their fixtures on three or more consecutive occasions in the first round, have been booted from the league.