Polished Pearls claim cup

It was billed as one of the best chances for the Avatiu Dragonflies to slice a knife into their opponents’ 10-year dynasty. Instead it was the Titikaveka Pearls who served their opponents on a plate with a spectacular 57-47 victory.

The Rarotonga Netball Centre hosted seven grand finals on Saturday night, including the first-ever under eight competition between Avatiu and Titikaveka.

The enthusiasm on display and superb shooting skills saw Avatiu seal a convincing win 8-0. Other results in the under 15 final against Titikaveka (25-24) and the reserve grade (45-39) gave Avatiu fans hope about the following match.

With both teams progressing well throughout the season a close encounter was expected and it certainly produced that at the Telecom Sports Arena on Saturday.

Understanding just how much was on the line, there was passion aplenty from both sides as the supporters in attendance did their bit to push the girls on.

It was the Avatiu support crew who had smiles beaming early as Avatiu took a 2-0 lead before the Titikaveka engine finally got rolling.

And roll it did. While pulling out in the third quarter, it was a vintage fourth quarter from the 10-time champions that separated the two teams at the end a s the dynasty continued to march on for an 11th consecutive year.

The under 10 final saw the talented Tupapa side overwhelm Avatiu 24-2. Both clubs clashed again in the under 12 final and the 11-9 result also went in favour of Tupapa.

For those still interested in getting their netball fix, the national age grade championships start at midday today and feature teams from Aitutaki, Atiu, Mitiaro, Mauke and Mangaia as well as the best from Rarotonga.

Workshops for umpires and bench officials will take place at 8.30am this morning for those interested. The full draw for the age grade championships is on the back page.

For more photos, see p14