By Lorna Campbell
Mission Mannas (red) beat Sneakers Stingrays 61–51 to qualify for the final. (Photo courtesy of Netball Singapore)
Toa Payoh Sports Hall, Sunday, May 18, 2014 — Mission Mannas defeated Sneakers Stingrays 61–51 to secure a spot in the Grand Final against Blaze Dolphins next Saturday in the Cheers Netball Super League.
Mannas came firing out of the blocks after their close result against Blaze yesterday, looking determined to make the final. They took the first quarter 19–15 but Sneakers pulled it back for a gripping second quarter which lifted the crowd into a frenzy as play sped from end to end of the court. Half time saw the score-line at 28–28 and set up an exciting second half where players on both teams gave their heart and soul.
It was a tight third period but Mannas started to nudge ahead and didn’t look back. They had a five-point advantage before the final 15 minutes and in the final quarter they went on a roll, scoring 17 goals to Sneakers’ 12 to wrap up a 61–51 win to secure their second successive final place.
Mannas coach Yeo Mee Hong said, “It was a fantastic game today. There was great teamwork throughout the match, including those on the bench who supported the team. We managed to take control in the second half – our defence was tighter and the accurate feeds in the circle were top class.”
Anni Tan, vice-captain for Sneakers, said, “We put up a strong fight and performance today. Our team showed excellent fighting spirit throughout so we are happy with our performance this season and will strive to do even better next year.”
Four of the six league positions were decided in the Cheers NSL.
M1 Sunfish and Bedok Kings Vipers opened the day’s action to settle 5th and 6th positions with Vipers coming out on top. M1 Sunfish, made up of Singapore’s 21 and Under players, had defeated the expatriate side on their previous two encounters this season (57–47, 43–36) but with the introduction of the international players from round 5, Vipers have produced much better results and even notched up a win against Marlins in round 8.
Vipers took the first quarter 11–10 which was strewn with mistakes from both sides, then pulled away to a 29–16 lead at the break with a more composed performance.
The international players for both teams went head to head in the Vipers attacking circle today – Raijieli Daveaua of Fiji as the Sunfish GK against Jaumbuaije Zauana of Namibia as the Vipers GS. Both used their athleticism to keep their side in the hunt but the height of Zauana gave her team the advantage.
Sunfish faced a 15-point deficit going into the final quarter (27–42) but they picked up their game and played their best quarter of the match, outscoring their opponents 15–12. Their play showed why they just missed out on a top-four spot this season but it was too late to take control or take the victory. Vipers got a 54–42 win and their second victory of the season to finish fifth overall.
Coach of M1 Sunfish, Joanne Loo, said, “It was very disappointing today. There is always one bad match in a season and I think we had ours today. We were missing some key players but just couldn’t get things going. Now its time to regroup and focus on our 21&U Tour and we will announce the squad for next week at the finals.”
Co-Captain of Vipers, Ashya Haug said, “I am feeling awesome. We played very controlled netball today and intimidated them with our talk and good defence right down the court. Zauana has had a big impact on our team and today she was able to out–play the great elevation of Raijieli which gave us the win and we avoided the wooden spoon which none of us wanted.”
So next Saturday will see the National Schools A Division Final take place at 12pm before the Grand Final of the Cheers Netball Super League between Mission Mannas and Blaze Dolphins at 2pm. The winning team will walk away with a S$10,000 cheque and the title of league champions for 2014.
RESULTS
M1 Sunfish 42 Bedok Kings Vipers 54 (HT: 16–29)
Mission Mannas 61 Sneakers Stingrays 51 (HT: 28–28)
Cheers NSL Standings
1st TBC
2nd TBC
3rd Sneakers Stingrays
4th Magic Marlins
5th Bedok Kings Vipers
6th M1 Sunfish
FIXTURES
Saturday, May 24
12pm: National Schools A Division Final
2pm: Blaze Dolphins vs Mission Mannas
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