Wellington Retain Netball NZ U17 Title + Tournament Team

Wellington Black A have kept two hands firmly on the Anna Rowberry Cup for a second year, beating perennial rivals Auckland 1 in the final of the 2017 Netball NZ U17 Champs played at the Pukekohe Netball Centre.

Playing outdoors but undercover, before an enthusiastic crowd of 400, the defending champions Wellington A Black surged ahead in the third quarter of the final, and had to fend off a final charge by Auckland 1, to win 34-25.

Wellington’s assistant coach Irene van Dyk attributed the victory to a special harmony in the team.

“We didn’t have a full squad until the week before the tournament, with two players in the Beko [Netball] League, and others fulfilling commitments to other sports. But they all worked so hard to bring it together, which showed the harmony in this amazing team,” she said.

Wellington had been pushed hard in the morning’s semi-final clash, by the young Howick Pakuranga team of predominantly Year 11 players; the capital side eventually winning 29-22.  Auckland had a more comfortable run into the final, beating Christchurch 54-26.

The Aucklanders took an early lead in the final, with goal shoot Bianca Nagaiya shooting well. But Wellington put pressure on late in the quarter, forcing Auckland into unnecessary errors, to close the gap to 7-5 in Auckland’s favour.

Van Dyk gave the Wellington side a rousing pep-talk, and they responded by contesting every ball and snatching the lead. Auckland had adapted by the end of the quarter, but Wellington held onto their advantage, 13-12, at halftime.

A wall of defence across court from Wellington gave them a formidable restart. Wing attack Salote Taufa deftly fed shooter Saviour Tui, for Wellington to score six unanswered goals in the third quarter, and lead 26-17 going into the final spell. Although Auckland rallied, Wellington maintained their intensity to take the win for the second year running.

Howick Pakuranga took out third place with a 29-16 victory over Christchurch.

The four-day outdoor tournament is the largest event on Netball New Zealand’s calendar, featuring 38 teams and more than 450 talented young players from throughout the country.

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NZ U17 Tournament Team
 
Jess Allan – Christchurch
Olivia Clark – Christchurch
Tayla Earle – Auckland 1
Maddy Gordon – Auckland 1
Paris Lokotui – Wellington 1
Bianca Nagaiya – Auckland 1
Ainsleyana Puleiata – Wellington 1
Renee Savai’inaea – Wellington 1
Leehava Saverio – Howick Pakuranga
Greer Sinclair – Auckland 1
Saviour Tui – Wellington 1
Emily Ussher – Eastern Waikato
Nanise Waqaira – Howick Pakuranga
Khiarna Williams – Eastern BOP
Ruby Young – Auckland 1
 
Day 4 Results
 
Team A   Team B
Hutt Valley31V21Wellington B Gold
Thames Valley38V29Mangere Otahuhu
Mid Canterbury30V49Nelson
Pukekohe45V36Gisborne
Kapi Mana25V33Invercargill
North Canterbury21V28Papakura
Hawke's Bay35V37Eastern Bay of Plenty
North Harbour 224V52North Harbour 1
Dunedin27V39Taranaki
Harbourside27V38Waitakere 2
Trust Waikato Hamilton City B26V29Waitakere 1
Whanganui41V30Whangarei
Wellington Black A29V22Howick Pakuranga A
Auckland 154V26Christchurch
Manawatu39V41Trust Waikato Hamilton City A
Auckland 248V36Eastern Waikato
Kapiti33V15Ko Rua
Wairarapa*WBDVLBDInvitational
Selwyn44V26Rotorua
Hutt Valley26V37Thames Valley
Wellington B Gold41V28Mangere Otahuhu
Nelson28V50Pukekohe
Mid Canterbury36V44Gisborne
Kapi Mana23V30North Canterbury
Invercargill27V26Papakura
Taranaki38V21Waitakere 2
Dunedin34V35Harbourside
Waitakere 142V29Whanganui
Trust Waikato Hamilton City B34V32Whangarei
Eastern Bay of Plenty23V46North Harbour 1
Howick Pakuranga A29V16Christchurch
Trust Waikato Hamilton City A29V37Auckland 2
Manawatu30V41Eastern Waikato
Hawke's Bay49V34North Harbour 2
Wellington Black A34V25Auckland 1
 
*Please note: Each team who plays the Invitational Team will be awarded 4 points for a win, and the score will not be included in the goal differential calculation. For this reason, in the system these games have been recorded as ‘won by default’ (WBD).
 
Final Placings:
 
1 - Wellington Black A
2 - Auckland 1
3 - Howick Pakuranga A
4 - Christchurch
5 - Auckland 2
6 - Trust Waikato Hamilton City A
7 - Eastern Waikato
8 - Manawatu
9 - North Harbour 1
10 - Eastern Bay of Plenty
11 - Hawke's Bay
12 - North Harbour 2
13 - Taranaki
14 - Waitakere 2
15 - Harbourside
16 - Dunedin
17 - Waitakere 1
18 - Whanganui
19 - Trust Waikato Hamilton City B
20 - Whangarei
21 - Thames Valley
22 - Hutt Valley
23 - Wellington B Gold
24 - Mangere Otahuhu
25 - Pukekohe
26 - Nelson
27 - Gisborne
28 - Mid Canterbury
29 - Invercargill
30 - Papakura
31 - North Canterbury
32 - Kapi Mana
33 - Selwyn
34 - Rotorua
35 - Kapiti
36 - Ko Rua
37 - Wairarapa
38 - Invitational