Magpies gain double chance in final round

Defending premiers Magpies 1 secured second spot and the vital double chance in the upcoming finals series after prevailing by 11 goals over Royals Saints 1 in round 14 of the Albany Netball Association A1 competition on Saturday.

After Royals Saints opened up an early advantage and led by a single goal at quarter time, Magpies found top gear in the second term as they piled on 12 goals while limiting their opponents to just five at the other end.

Led by midcourt star Kelly Judd, Magpies fed the ball into their goal circle constantly as shooting combination Nikki Stirling and Summer Stirling helped their side to a six-goal half-time lead.

Royals Saints defence Narelle Humphries and Lisa Amess applied plenty of pressure but their side turned the ball over too many times.

Magpies were able to increase their lead even more in the third quarter as Sophie Bacon-Lewis got some terrific rebounds in the defensive circle.

Paige Aggiss continued her strong game for Royals Saints, causing a number of intercepts as she did in the first half.

Summer Stirling netted nine goals in the last to go with her seven goals from 10 attempts in the third quarter as Magpies skipped away to a 46-35 win with Judd again outstanding in centre court.

Carly Szczecinski nailed eight of Royals Saints nine goals in the third while Nardia Humphries, who was impressive at goal attack in the first half, was brought back to nail seven of 10 attempts.

Aggiss was superb for Royals Saints while centre Kathryn Jennings and Amess were both solid throughout.

Minor premiers Kangas 1 notched their 13th consecutive win, shooting clear of rivals Kangas 2 in the second half on their way to an 18-goal result.

Kangas 2 trailed by six goals at half-time but they couldn’t contain Kangas 1 in the second half as they conceded 12 goals in the third quarter and 16 in the final stanza to go down, 29-47.

Grammar 1 finished their season with a victory, fending off a strong challenge from Jokers 1 to score a 37-21 triumph while Narrikup 1 won by forfeit over Magpies 2.