Open team fly the flag for Taranaki
They might have been the only outsider to play but the Taranaki open netball team demolished the competition in their tournament in Nelson last week.
After a number of teams pulled out, the Taranaki side travelled down south for four games against teams who all held a home court advantage.
This didn’t seem to matter, however, as the visitors made short work of their rivals.
The side, led into the competition by Tysons premier one coach Che Tamati, beat a Nelson development side 74-42, Nelson’s men’s team 74-43, an invitational side 72-43 and Nelson 62-25.
Tamati said the team was the best Taranaki senior team in years and they performed well as a unit from the outset.
‘‘It was very fluid to be honest,’’ he said.
‘‘After the first game they kind of just found their feet.’’
With Inglewood quintet Lana Rowlands, Samantha Burkhart, Erika Maifea, Nikita Roberts and Lauren Burgess pulling out for various reasons, Madeline Wells, Rochelle Ngatai and Megan Washington were called into the side.
Netball Taranaki general manager Steve Roberts said while the scores suggested a poor level of competition, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
‘‘The Nelson teams were competitive, however our Taranaki Open team shooters need to be commended for their stellar shooting statistics.
‘‘Nelson Netball Centre were wonderful hosts.’’