Nerine F dent P&J's title ambitions

Nerine Trust F have upset the apple cart again. Not long ago they beat Condor Group League Division Two title chasers Sarnians Two; now they have beaten Sarnians' closest rivals, P&J Conservat-ories.

In a nail-bitingly close match, Nerine settled into the game quickly and took the lead thanks to some great shots by talented GS Amy Wright.

She shone throughout the match despite not being in her favoured defensive position.

By the third quarter, P&J had stepped up a gear and outscored their rivals to hold a one-goal advantage but Nerine were not ready to roll over and pulled out all the stops to finish up four goals ahead despite some dazzling interceptions from P&J's player of the match, GK Cathy Smith.

A win for P&J Conservat-ories would have put them firmly in the top spot but after their defeat Sarnians Two and P&J Conservato-ries are neck and neck at the top of the table having each played, and lost, an equal number of games.

To complicate things even further, P&J Conserv-atories and Sarnians have already faced each other twice and have won a game apiece.

Next in line to creep into the lead is Guernsey Motor Spares, who probably would have equalled their rivals' points had they all turned up for a crucial match against Nerine Trust G. They forfeited the points when a mix-up left the team in disarray and they could not field enough players.

Nerine are also causing trouble for Sarnians Three in Division Three.

This time it was Nerine Trust H who beat the title contenders and, to rub salt into the wounds, they won by a single goal.

Sarnians started well, easing into an eight-goal lead in the first quarter.

Nerine's confidence grew along with their score, however, and they quickly drew level, keeping the Sarnians attack at bay and matching them goal-for-goal for the remainder of the match.

The final whistle rang out with Nerine holding a single-goal advantage.

Heritage faced double disappointment,:fresh from a defeat at the hands of PWC, they had to give a walkover to Nerine Trust J.

In Division One, Ship & Crown faced a tough week with dual defeats from Nerine Trust A and Nerine Trust C.

Barclays Masters fared a little better with their double date.

They held their own against Nerine Trust B and gained a consolation point thanks to GD Julie Wright keeping the ball out of the Nerine circle but the shooting teamwork of Denise Bourgaize and Anna Trump was not to be beaten and Nerine pushed their rivals into second place.

Barclays' second game ended in victory for the established first-division team when they faced Nerine Trust E.

In a fast-paced match, Barclays always held the advantage, with Nerine nipping at their heels.

The night belonged to Barclays' shooters, however, with GS Pauline Corlett finding the net from every angle and GA Julie Donaldson working centre court extremely effectively.

Elsewhere, Sarnians One quickly dismissed Chand-lers 71-12.