BY NATHAN DOLE
Upsets aplenty in netball finals action
THERE were upsets aplenty across the netball courts in week two of the Bendigo Bank Heathcote DFNL finals series.
Biggest upset was in the A-grade second semi-final on Saturday where Elmore dominated play against White Hills at Pigeon Park in Heathcote’s Barrack Reserve.
In a season where it had beaten Elmore by 38 goals and drawn the other, White Hills started favourite to progress in its pursuit of back-to-back premierships.
It was not to be as the Allira Holmes and Gabe Richards-coached Elmore dominated play.
The Bloods applied a lot of pressure from the first contest and did not let up.
By the final siren it was Elmore which led 64-40 and first to qualify for the September 7 grand final at Huntly’s Strauch Reserve.
Stung by such a big defeat the Lauren Bowles-coached White Hills has little time to regroup for next Saturday’s preliminary final.
The Demons will fight to keep their season alive when they play Colbinabbin at Toolleen Recreation Reserve.
After a one-goal loss to Elmore in the qualifying final, Colbinabbin bounced back in Sunday’s first semi-final against Leitchville Gunbower at White Hills.
The Jen McIntyre-coached Grasshoppers put the advantage they gained from the run to last year’s grand final by scoring a 58-38 win against the Bombers.
After beating Heathcote in the elimination final the Caitlyn Hamilton-coached Leitchville Gunbower battled to stop Colbinabbin’s slick movement from mid-court to attack.
In the A-reserve competition, Huntly is first to the grand final.
The Harlowe Huntly Hawks took on White Hills in the second semi-final at Heathcote.
Although the Demons had beaten the Hawks by seven and 10 goals in the home-and-away series it was Huntly which soared to a 39-34 victory.
White Hills will now take on Elmore in the preliminary final.
The Bloods won Sunday’s first semi against Lockington Bamawm United by eight goals.
In B-grade, Leitchville Gunbower scored a 52-35 victory in the second semi showdown with Huntly.
The Hawks will fight to stay in the title race when they play White Hills in the preliminary final.
It was a dramatic finish to the first semi-final as the Demons won 57-56 against the LBU Cats.
White Hills won the B-reserve second semi against the LBU Cats by 24 goals.
A red-hot Demons led 58-34 at the final siren.
Lockington Bamawm United will now meet Huntly in the preliminary final after the Hawks netted a 10-goal win against Mount Pleasant in the first semi-final.
Mount Pleasant’s great run in the 17-and-under and 15-and-under competitions kept rolling.
The Blues won the second semis in those divisions by margins of 16 and six goals against Lockington Bamawm United and White Hills respectively.
Huntly won the 17-and-under first semi-final against Elmore by 10 goals.
A great weekend for the Hawks included a 49-48 win against LBU in the 15-and-under first semi-final.
In the 13-and-under competition, Leitchville Gunbower is first to the grand final after an eight-goal win against LBU in Saturday’s match.
The LBU Cats will now play Elmore in the preliminary final after the young Bloods won 39-29 in Sunday’s first semi against Huntly.
Scoreboard from Sunday’s first semi-finals played at White Hills:
13-and-under: Huntly 29 lt Elmore 39.
15-and-under: Lockington Bamawm United 48 lt Huntly 49.
17-and-under: Huntly 50 d Elmore 40.
B-grade: White Hills 57 d Lockington Bamawm United 56.
B-reserve: Huntly 45 d Mount Pleasant 35.
A-reserve: Elmore 40 d Lockington Bamawm United 32.
A-grade: Colbinabbin 58 d Leitchville Gunbower 38.
Scoreboard from Saturday’s second semi-finals at Pigeon Park in Heathcote’s Barrack Reserve:
13-and-under: Leitchville Gunbower 28 d Lockington Bamawm United 20.
15-and-under: Mount Pleasant 54 d White Hills 48.
17-and-under: Mount Pleasant 51 d Lockington Bamawm United 35.
B-grade: Leitchville Gunbower 52 d Huntly 35.
B-reserve: White Hills 58 d Lockington Bamawm United 34.
A-reserve: Huntly 39 d White Hills 34.
A-grade: Elmore 64 d White Hills 40.
Schedule for Saturday’s preliminary finals at Toolleen:
13-and-under at 8.45am: Lockington Bamawm United v Elmore.
17-and-under at 8.45am: Lockington Bamawm United v Huntly.
15-and-under at 10am: White Hills v Huntly.
B-grade at 11.15am: Huntly v White Hills.
B-reserve at 12.30pm: Lockington Bamawm United v Huntly.
A-reserve at 1.45pm: White Hills v Elmore.
A-grade at 3pm: White Hills v Colbinabbin.
Five clubs have teams through to the September 7 grand finals at Huntly’s Strauch Reserve.
Teams to have qualified are Elmore, A-grade; Huntly, A-reserve; White Hills, B-reserve; Mount Pleasant, 17-and-under and 15-and-under; and Leitchville Gunbower, B-grade and 13-and-under.