Hards defiant: 'Yes we can beat them'

THE destiny of the Condor Group Division One title is likely to hinge on tomorrow's clash of the top two. It is the second of the season's three meetings between champions Nerine Trust and main rivals Meespierson Reads Sarnians One, with the former having won the first encounter comprehensively 46-13.

Another victory for the unbeaten league leaders at Beau Sejour would virtually wrap up the title and they start as hot favourites to achieve that, but Sarnians coach Tracie Hards gave a defiant reply when asked if she thought her side could turn over Nerine.

'Of course I do, there would be no point in going on court otherwise,' she said.

However, Hards admitted that Sarnians will have to improve on the performance that they gave the first time the sides met this campaign.

'After the last time we played them, I was angry at the way we played - nothing seemed to go right, nothing we tried came off. I was very disappointed in the scoreline because Sarnians are better than that,' she said.

'Hopefully we can go out and prove we can mix it with them this time.

'I will be very happy if my girls go out and play to their full potential because they are capable of playing very well. If your shots go in, if the defence gets interceptions, it lifts a team.

'I will be saying ?let's go out and give it our all?,' Hards added.

Sarnians will have a full strength side on display and their form of late has been pretty good.

But, as is the case with Nerine, those teams at the lower end of the table are unlikely to cause an upset against Sarnians, so it does call for them to lift their game tomorrow.

'We seem to be playing in patches really. The players have moments where there is a lack of concentration and it does not go as planned.

'In saying that, though, most of the games they are winning fairly comfortably,' Hards said.

She added that although it was difficult to see Nerine being knocked off their perch any time soon, it was down to other sides to put them under pressure.

'At the moment, they deserve to be there on merit,' she said.

'We understand they must be fed up with not having a lot of competition, but hopefully we can push them.

Nerine coach Gill Queripel is certainly not taking anything for granted ahead of the game.

'Sarnians are not a team that is going to roll over without a fight. They will have a full side out and they are all island players,' she said. 'But our lot do not like losing. It does happen, but they don't enjoy it when it does.'