Wilsons Windscreens Allenton A will fight for the opportunity to move up to Mid Canterbury Netball’s ACL Premier 1 grade after topping Premier 2 at the end of round one.

They’ll take on a Southern NBS side that finished bottom of the table in ACL Premier 1 in the first round, while the season’s first promotion/relegation match between ACL Premier 2 and ACL Premier 3 will be between Celtic Morrison Agri B (the bottom team from Premier 2) and College Y10A (the top team from Premier 3).

While the picture was already virtually set before the final games of round one on Thursday night, the two teams looking to move up made sure they put an exclamation mark on it, with Allenton A’s place at the top of the table sealed with a comprehensive 30-12 win over Methven EuroAgri, and College Y10A’s sealed with a 49-27 win over Heatwise Allenton B.

The top spot in ACL Premier 1 was also cemented by Celtic Auric Electrical A, finishing off round one unbeaten with a win over Mt Somers Victory Lime A, but they didn’t have it all their own way. The Celtic side won 37-20, but for the first half it looked like they might have finally met their match, as the top-of-the-table clash didn’t disappoint.

Celtic got off to a strong start, leading 7-1 early, before Mt Somers mounted a comeback to trail by just two at the first break, 7-5, and it was a margin they maintained until half time courtesy of some fine shooting by Kate Oliver and Hayley Duthie, only trailing 14-12. But from there Celtic put their foot down, allowing Mt Somers only four goals in both the third and fourth quarter and racing away with the win 37-20.

Earlier in the night, Methven Wareings A had secured second spot for the first round thanks to a 47-13 win over Southern NBS, while the mid-table clash between College A and Hampstead Ray White A went the way of the defending champions Hampstead 36-27.

In ACL Premier 2’s other matches on Thursday night, Celtic Morrison Agri B finished off round one with a 50-5 loss to Rakaia ProShear, while Hampstead Ray White B beat United KFC A 46-27. And in ACL Premier 3, College B picked up a resounding 42-9 win over Methven Shearmac, while Hampstead Ray White U18 and Rakaia Seed Cleaning had a real battle, with the Rakaia side eventually winning it 27-23.

The two promotion/relegation games will be played on Tuesday night at the EA Networks Centre at 6.30pm.

Article added: Friday 31 May 2024