The Netball Cook Islands premiership semifinals played at the Ngatangiia courts were thrown into disarray last Thursday due to an unplanned power outage. The interruption occurred during two crucial semifinal games, necessitating a rematch scheduled for this evening at 5pm.

On court one, the table-topping Titikaveka Pearls faced off against the rising Arorangi Flames.

The game was intense, with both teams demonstrating exceptional skill and grit. The first and second quarters were tightly contested, with neither team able to gain a significant advantage.

The Flames boasted two young shooters with an impressive average accuracy of 80 per cent, while the Pearls relied on the experience and precision of Cook Islands internationally capped shooter Alana Smith, who maintained a 90 per cent shooting accuracy and the Aussie styled one on one defence from Micheyla Matapo collecting an average of 2-3 intercepts in each quarter. The Pearls led the game with a massive score margin of 60-39 in the third quarter.

Meanwhile, on court two, an equally intense battle unfolded between Tupapa and Avatiu. Tupapa found themselves trailing by a substantial margin in the first half, with the score at 25-15.

However, a shift in momentum saw Mere-Jean Piri collecting intercepts and crucial rebounds, which were expertly converted by long-range shooting specialist Tashi Kopu.

The game was set for an exciting final quarter when disaster struck.

As the games headed into the final quarter, the lights at the Ngatangiia courts suddenly went out, plunging the venue into darkness. Players, officials, and fans were left in confusion as the power outage halted the semifinals. After a brief wait, the power was restored, and the games resumed. However, within 10 minutes, the lights went out again, forcing another stoppage.

In the ensuing discussions, umpires, team captains, managers, and coaches gathered to decide the best course of action. Given the repeated power failures and the impact on player safety and game integrity, competition manager Ngere Puia, along with the umpires and team management, decided to defer the games.

This decision, made in accordance with the Netball Cook Islands rule book, rescheduled the semifinal matches to today at 5 pm.

The interruptions caused significant frustration among fans and players, but the decision to defer was necessary due to the unpredictable power situation. The repeated outages disrupted the flow of the matches and created an unsafe environment for everyone involved.

This evening, the Titikaveka Pearls and Arorangi Flames will once again clash on court one, while Tupapa and Avatiu will resume their battle on court two.