BELLE CONSTRUCTION 56

ARTIFEX DRAGONS 22

BELLE Construction got the defence of their South & West Dorset League Premier Division title off to a fine start by taming Artifex Dragons 56-22.

Both teams started equally while excellent centre-court play from Belle’s WA Charlie Naerger and C Amelia Wooton encouraged the team forwards.

Belle managed to pull away through the first quarter with some strong interceptions before making changes in the second quarter, bringing on Laura Bucke to shoot and she did not miss an opportunity to score.

Despite strong and determined defending from Dragons’ Marcie Przybysz and Laura Pearson, Belle continued to pull ahead, leading 25-12 at half-time.

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Belle made further changes in the third quarter strengthening their defence even more to reduce Dragons’ efforts to get the ball into the shooters.

Their plan worked, and Belle extended their lead, but in the final quarter, Dragons remained resilient keeping pressure on Belle throughout the last quarter.

Dragons’ WD Grace Goodwin and C Sammy Whisker provided excellent passes into their shooters but it was not enough to prevent Belle from taking the win.

ARTIFEX KRAKENS 51

FIRST FIT WINDOWS 34

ARTIFEX Krakens started the season strongly with a 51-34 victory over First Fit Windows in Division One.

Krakens began brightly with accurate passes and excellent shooting from GA Molly Shrewbridge.

First Fit then found their pace and worked hard to close the gap but in the second quarter First Fit made some unforced errors which Krakens took advantage of.

Krakens’ strong defence prevented First Fit from scoring heavily but they maintained their determination.

Sadly, they could not keep up with Krakens who extended their lead at half time to 28-17.

In the third quarter, a dramatic dive from Krakens’ WA Jess Cutler demonstrated her enthusiasm, but could not prevent the ball going off court.

Strong umpiring picked up a number of errors in this fast-paced quarter, which was a great game to watch.

Both sides showed first game fatigue in the last quarter and First Fit C Hayley Stanton’s interceptions slowed Krakens down but with an excellent mother-daughter duo in the circle, Krakens secured the win.

COASTAL CHEESE 45

TEAM WAIKIKI 23

COASTAL Cheese joined Krakens in winning their first Division One game with a 45-23 success over Team Waikiki.

The game started with strong centre movement from both teams.

Coastal’s defence worked well in turning over the ball and GA Fran Gray’s accurate shooting gave the team an early lead.

Waikiki C Becky Thomas made a great effort in keeping Waikiki involved in the game.

Coastal started the second quarter with a dominant lead but Waikiki’s defence worked extra hard to win the ball back with some exceptional interceptions.

The game was fast-paced and Coastal entered half-time with a 22-14 lead.

In the third quarter, Coastal’s sub Camilla Assirati came on to make the shots for Coastal with their midcourt players getting the ball down the court effortlessly.

Coastal continued to extend their lead in the final quarter but Waikiki made a valiant effort to boost their score with further strong interceptions.

However, Coastal secured their first win of the season in this fast-tempo match.

ZEST 34

WJNC WAVES 19

ZEST got their Division Two tally off and running with a 34-19 win over WJNC Waves.

Zest and Waves started at a controlled pace with new players on both teams.

Zest worked the ball down the court well and C Lauren Kenney made great space and controlled the flow of the game into the circle.

Changes in the second quarter gave the teams fresh legs but Waves C Rosie Frazen was taken off briefly following an ankle injury and Waves GD Amelia Walburn made some great interceptions in play.

However, Zest continued to hold their own and led by three at half-time.

The third quarter saw Zest extend their lead more comfortably, with some exceptional interceptions from new players WD Zoe Whitefield and GD Kirsty Aplin.

Zest entered the final quarter with a good lead thanks to accurate shooting from GS Emma Mills.

Both teams worked hard in defence preventing goals but Zest had enough in hand to secure their first win.