Netball NZ U19 and U23 Champs

Netball NZ U19 and U23 Champs Northern U23 Champions for 2015

9 July, 2015
Media Advisory

Northern U23 have been crowned Netball NZ U23 Champions for 2015 defeating South in the final at The Trusts Arena in Henderson 55-50.

Undefeated all week, Northern went on a second quarter blitz outscoring South 18-10 in that one quarter alone. Ahead by six at halftime, South found themselves playing catch-up and slowly clawed back an increasing deficit to trail 42-36 with 15 minutes left on the clock.

Some impressive shooting at both ends of the court by Northern teenager Maia Wilson (34/40 at 85 per cent) and Te Paea Selby-Rickit (44/49 at 90 per cent) could barely be faulted. The defensive effort by Northern’s Sulu Tone-Fitzpatrick and Holly Fowler this week has been standout, with Tone-Fitzpatrick named Defender of the Tournament.

The match stayed even through the fourth stanza, Northern winning by five in front of a vocal and supportive home crowd.

In the U23 play-off for third and fourth, Waikato Bay of Plenty defeated Mainland 55-45, while Central finish in fifth.

In the Under 19 final between North Harbour and Dunedin, an exhilarating finish had North Harbour supporters on their feet with just one goal separating the teams as the clock ticked down to fulltime.

Neck and neck for the first half, North Harbour edged ahead by three at three-quarter time, extending the lead to six before Dunedin rallied to stage a thrilling comeback. With scores even heading into the final minute, North Harbour held their nerve hanging on for the 31-30 win.

Waitakere defeated Wellington in the play-off for third and fourth with Auckland and Pukekohe rounding out the top six.

U23 Tournament Team
Te Paea Selby-Rickit (South)
* Monica Falkner (WBOP) - Shooter of the Tournament
Maia Wilson (Northern)
Tera-Maria Amani (Northern)
* Gina Crampton (South) - Mid-courter of the Tournament
Hayley Crofts (South)
Samantha Sinclair (WBOP)
Storm Purvis (South)
* Sulu Tone-Fitzpatrick (Northern) - Defender of the Tournament
Holly Fowler (Northern)

U19 Tournament Selection
Caitlin Dowden (Auckland)
Eseta Autagavaia (Auckland)
Sophie Erwood (Dunedin)
Jennifer O'Connell (Dunedin)
Kelsey McPhee (Hawke's Bay)
Filda Mataupu (Waitakere)
Christina Oscar (Auckland)
Jamie Hume (Dunedin)
Fa'amu Ioane (North Harbour)
Popua Aleamotu'a (North Harbour)
Saskia-Rae Brown (Pukekohe)
Michaela Sokolich-Beatson (North Harbour)
Lily Fletcher (Christchurch)
Abby Erwood (Dunedin)
Kate Burley (North Harbour)
Kristina Tipene (Waikato)

Please click here for final placings
Please see below for today's results
A full table of results can be found on the Netball New Zealand website.

ROUND ONE
U23: Mainland defeated Central 49-39
U19: Manurewa defeated Southland 29-24
U19: Hutt Valley defeated Howick Pakuranga 25-24

ROUND TWO
U19: Christchurch defeated Papakura 42-27
U19: Eastern BOP defeated Selwyn 36-34
U19: Mainland defeated Rotorua 54-17

ROUND THREE
U19: Auckland defeated Pukekohe 42-17
U19: Manawatu defeated Hawke's Bay 42-30
U19: Taranaki defeated Hamilton City 26-17

ROUND FOUR
U19: Waitakere defeated Wellington 38-19
U23: WBOP defeated Mainland 55-45

ROUND FIVE
U19: North Harbour defeated Dunedin 32-31

ROUND SIX
U23: Northern defeated South 55-50

ENDS

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