MARYBOROUGH denied Golden Square’s pursuit of back-to-back victories in Saturday’s fifth round of A-grade netball action in the Bendigo Bank Bendigo Football Netball League.
Beaten its previous two home games at Barkers Oval in Princes Park this season, Maryborough was determined not to mark a third.
The Magpies were slick through mid-court, accurate in goal and strong in defence as they achieved a 46-32 victory.
Favourites took out all other three A-grade contests.
Sandhurst bounced back from defeat at Kangaroo Flat the previous round to score a 71-31 win against South Bendigo at Queen Elizabeth Oval.
Back in attack for the maroon and blue, Kelsey Meade was one of Sandhurst’s best.
The ladder-leading Kangaroo Flat won 69-37 on Strathfieldsaye Storm’s court at Triple M Park in Tannery Lane.
Eaglehawk marked the trek south to Kyneton by scoring a crucial 15-goal win.
After defeats in the opening two games to the Kangaroos and South Bendigo, Eaglehawk has struck back to win away games at Maryborough by 23 goals and then at Kyneton Showgrounds.
Gisborne hosted Castlemaine in the lower grades of netball at Gardiner Reserve, but the A-grade team had a rest.
Standings in the Bendigo FNL A-grade netball competition:
Kangaroo Flat 180 per cent, 18 points; Gisborne 18, 137; Sandhurst 196, 16; Eaglehawk 97, 12; South Bendigo 78, 12; Maryborough 69, 8; Kyneton 63, 8; Strathfieldsaye 74, 4; Golden Square 60, 4.
Match of the day in Saturday’s sixth round will be the fourth-placed Eaglehawk at home to the second-placed and unbeaten Gisborne at S & R Park in Canterbury Park.
South Bendigo takes on Strathfieldsaye at Queen Elizabeth Oval.
Kyneton and Maryborough clash at the later time of 3.20pm at Kyneton Showgrounds.
It’s a rest for Sandhurst’s A-grade players, but the maroon and blue will take on Castlemaine in the lower grades at Camp Reserve.
The match between Kangaroo Flat and Golden Square will be played as a stand-alone fixture on May 22 at Bendigo Mazda Oval in Kangaroo Flat’s Dower Park.
Written by Nathan Dole