Cobras fight back to beat All Blacks and take title
The second ‘I Love Netball’ mixed social tournament was held at Great Marlow School earlier this month, with The Cobras digging deep to see off the All Blacks in a thrilling final.
The event, organised by Sarah Pengelly, attracted 14 teams to take part and the Cobras arrived with a full-strength line-up looking to defend the title they won back in June.
This they managed, although they had to see off some tough opponents to be crowned champions again.
Two pools of seven teams competed in a league format with the top four from each pool progressing to the knockout stages.
Over the course of six hours, teams of various abilities battled for supremacy on the court with the Cobras and All Blacks making it to the final.
The All Blacks rocked the Cobras early on, racing into a 5-1 lead at the break, but a slight tactical switch saw them rediscover their edge. Defensively they were also very tight and some exceptional shooting saw them level the score at 6-6 at the final whistle.
Then, after two minutes of extra-time that brought chances for both teams in an end-to-end period, Trish Pearce was awarded a penalty shot and held her nerve to loop the ball into the net.
The final whistle sounded seconds after the restart leaving the defending champions jumping for joy, and the All Blacks crushed by disappointment.
As a result, the Cobras also continue a run of 17 unbeaten games across the two events.