Wellington A Black held their nerve to deny a fast-finishing Hamilton City A and seal a 25-23 win in the final of the 2023 Celebration Box Netball NZ U18 Champs in Hamilton on Thursday.
In sunny but breezy conditions, Wellington A Black held a tight 6-5 lead after the first 10-minute quarter before having the better of the middle quarters when leading 15-7 and 20-14. Not to be outdone, Hamilton City A stormed back in the closing stages to narrow the gap to one but were ultimately held at arms-length by a much-relieved Wellington.
"It was a very tight tussle and thank goodness we were ahead by a few goals going into the fourth quarter. If it had been any closer it could have been a different story,’’ Wellington coach Bessie Manu said.
"We’re absolutely thrilled to win the title. The girls have worked hard and in a tournament situation with it being the last day, bodies are tired but they pushed through and I’m very proud of them.
"Fitness was a big key for us and that helped us push through two very tight games in the semis and final, so we knew we had that and then just had to stay composed.’’
Two of her NZ Secondary School players in shooting pair Sarah Guiney, for her tireless efforts, and Phoenix Schwalger, for her volume and accuracy, were top performers for the Wellington side but "they all played well and I’m very proud of them all,’’ the coach said.
Honouring former Silver Ferns great Margaret Forsyth, who passed away in 2021, the winners were presented with the trophy which bears her name by her mother, Vera Forsyth, and son, Thomas Nabbs.
After finishing fourth last year and runners-up in 2021, Wellington A Black became the third winners to have their name etched on the Margaret Forsyth Cup.
In the morning’s semi finals, Hamilton City A progressed to the final with a comfortable 37-29 win over Auckland 1 while Wellington A Black had a tougher challenge when edging Waitakere 1 36-35 to advance by the narrowest of margins.
Waitakere 1 prevailed in the third-placed play-off with a keenly-contested 40-34 win over near neighbours Auckland 1.
In the men’s U17 division, being held for the first time, Waitakere completed a clean sweep when clinching the inaugural title with a hard-fought 27-20 win over Hamilton City in the final.
Hamilton City held a narrow 5-4 edge after an engrossing first quarter tussle before Waitakere built slender 11-8 and 17-15 leads at the next two breaks before stretching it out further in the run home.
"It’s really good and I’m just proud of the team,’’ Waitakere men’s coach Tony Ah Chee said.
"That final was a lot harder than we thought it was going to be. Because we did so well in the round robin, we thought it was going to be an easy run but it wasn’t like that at all. They played way better than what we thought and caught us off guard. They were really good.’’
Waitakere captain Jayden Eaton praised the spirit of his team and how far they had progressed since coming together for the event.
"It’s an amazing feeling. We have come a long way and by the final we were well prepared and knew how to get the business done,’’ he said.
Earlier, Hamilton City had won out the contest with Hutt Valley, between the second and third-placed teams, 37-17, to earn their place in the final against the unbeaten Waitakere.
