<strong>16</strong> <strong>Selwyn</strong> <strong>Times</strong> Wednesday <strong>August</strong> <strong>16</strong> <strong>2023</strong>
Wednesday <strong>August</strong> <strong>16</strong> <strong>2023</strong> <strong>Selwyn</strong> <strong>Times</strong> Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz SPORT 17 Burnham A set sights on back to back netball titles • By Jaime Cunningham DEFENDING champions Burnham A will look to topple Greenpark B for the third time this season in tomorrow’s semifinal. In the other semi, Greenpark A are the favourites to take down Lincoln A, having already beaten them twice this season. Greenpark B go into the playoff following a 50-42 loss to table leaders Greenpark A last week, while a comfortable 41-25 win against Broadfield A secured Burnham A second place on the table. Burnham A dominated possession, but failed to make the most of their turnovers by shooting at 67 per cent accuracy. Coach Denise Keno said she was pleased with the team’s efforts, even though they had several shooters out injured. “We had one shooter away, one shooter sick, one shooter who rolled their ankle in the warm up and another shooter who rolled their ankle during the game. “We moved a defender into the shooting circle so under the circumstances I was pretty happy,” she said. Converting turnovers will be integral to a win for Burnham, with a much closer match-up expected against Greenpark B. The first time the two sides met, Burnham managed to hold on for a 30-27 win. In June, a strong second half saw Burnham beat Greenpark B 38-24. Keno said two of the team’s shooters were away in their first clash against Greenpark B, but were available the second time Burnham played them. Meanwhile, Greenpark A were able to pull away from Greenpark B last week with a 28-21 second period, despite trailing by one at half time. The win meant Greenpark SPEED: Greenpark A wing attack Kersha Timpson accelerates into open space. Right – Burnham A goal defence Brianna Labudde looks for a teammate to pass to during their last game against Greenpark B in June. PHOTOS: TASH DILLON A completed a perfect second round, with seven wins out of seven games, and will now meet Lincoln A in the other semifinal. The two teams last played in May, with Greenpark A finishing the game strongly to win 50-41. Greenpark A also proved too strong in their second match-up, coming out victorious 54-30. Lincoln exited the competition at this stage last year, going down to Burnham A 54-38. Although a rematch of last year’s final seems likely, if Lincoln can be consistent across the four quarters, a close battle will be on the cards. They go into the semi-final off the back of a solid 49-35 win against Halswell Rugby League A. Although Lincoln won the second half 29-17, Halswell showed signs of promise throughout the game. The young team managed to get within two goals of Lincoln by the end of the first half, and managed 45 attempts at goal. While they will be disappointed not to be playing off for fithplace ater some tight matches, Halswell will search for their first win of the second round against Malvern A tomorrow. The two teams last met in June, when a thrilling match-up ended in a 42-42 draw. Malvern suffered a 52-37 loss to West Melton A in the final round robin game. A 22-10 last quarter saw West Melton pull away following three tight periods. West Melton take on Broadfield A in the fith-place playoff ater failing to qualify for the semi-finals. Despite having injury problems as of late, Broadfield will need to be more accurate in their shooting to compete with West Melton. Broadfield’s shooters managed to put up 47 attempts last week, but could only score just over half of them (53 per cent). The teams have only met once this season, when West Melton managed a 33-30 win. But expect both teams to come out firing for their last match of the year. TARGET: Lincoln A goal shoot Brooklyn Neame takes aim in their 49-35 win over Halswell Rugby League A. Tomorrow’s draw (<strong>Selwyn</strong> Sports Centre) Greenpark B v Burnham A, 6.30pm, court 1; HRLNC A v Malvern A, 6.30pm, court 2; Greenpark A v Lincoln A, 8pm, court 1; West Melton A v Broadfield A, 8pm, court 2. Last week’s results: Lincoln A 49 def HRLNC A 35. Qtrs: 13-7, 20-18, 35-27, 49-35. West Melton A 52 def Malvern A 37. Qtrs: 18-8, 21- 19, 30-27, 52-37. Burnham A 41 def Broadfield A 25. Qtrs: 12-6, 21-10, 33-<strong>16</strong>, 41-25. Greenpark A 50 def Greenpark B 42. Qtrs: 12-9, 22-21, 33-28, 50-42. Points: Greenpark A 28, Burnham A 25, Greenpark B 20, Lincoln A 17, West Melton A 12, Broadfield A 9, HRLNC A 5, Malvern A 3. •<strong>Selwyn</strong> claim Forrester Trophy, page 18 Pick up litter and put it in the right bin. Drains go straight to our rivers and sea, help keep them clean. Protect our waterways ecan.govt.nz/stormwater E23/8053