Champions survive early onslaught to win again

Nerine A 31, Fortis Sarnians One 23

FORTIS SARNIANS ONE rattled the champions but could not knock them down at Beau Sejour last night. It was quite a battle between the old rivals but Nerine A eventually starting performing like the current island squad that they are to secure victory.

'In the end it was a good win and a good game,' said Nerine coach Gill Queripel.

A huge amount of credit must go to Sarnians for taking it to the young champions from the outset.

They flew out of the blocks and had established a 3-0 lead almost before Nerine had strung two passes together with GS Laura Callaway finding her range immediately.

Throughout the first quarter their passing remained slick with C Sarah Hoskins pulling the strings and the shooting duo of Callaway and Jane Fear making the well-worked openings count.

Nerine, on the other hand, were all at sea and it was hard to believe that virtually the same side had won in the UK at the weekend.

On the occasions that the ball did arrive in the circle, the shooting from Kerri Brown and Nena Bourgaize was wayward and they ended the quarter 10-4 behind.

However, there was an inevitability in the way Nerine struck back.

Claire Queripel, amazingly their oldest player at a tender 26, shone brightly at centre as the comeback started and the shooting partnership began to take their chances as players of their quality were bound to do, even though Tracie Hards and Liz Stonebridge continued to perform outstandingly in defence.

The second quarter score was an exact reversal of the first and once Nerine edged ahead at the start of the third, they were not going to relinquish their advantage.

Their starlets had settled into a rhythm and even though the rain began to fall, the ball moved through their hands safely and quickly to take a 23-19 lead into the final 15 minutes.

Sarnians fought doggedly and can feel justifiably proud of their efforts even though Nerine pulled further away in the fourth quarter with Anna Trump contributing some goals having replaced Brown.

'I think we were not on this plant,' said Gill Queripel with regard to her side's first quarter performance.

'Sarnians brought it out to us, played really well and stormed into a lead. We, though, were spraying passes around and missed seven shots.

'Then we decided to wake up and the girls did well to go into half-time level, which was the target they set themselves. To be fair, they did actually come in after the first quarter saying what they were doing wrong themselves, which I was pleased to hear as a coach.

'So we woke up in the second and third quarters and did enough to stay ahead in the fourth. But it shows character to come from that far behind early on and win.'