Day two of Canterbury’s inter-centre netball competition is set to provide a good early-season test for Ashburton College A tomorrow.

When play gets under way at Ashburton’s EA Networks Centre at 9.30am, the Ashburton College A side will be one of the first on court, and one of only a handful of teams looking to maintain their unbeaten record from the first day last Sunday.

Their two opposing teams on the competition’s second and final day are two fellow high school teams, and for College A coach Kaye Kennedy that’s a good thing.

This season Ashburton College have to fight for their spot in the Canterbury secondary schools’ SuperNet competition, so tomorrow’s two games will be a good test to see where they’re at against some other school sides.

Ashburton College finished sixth in SuperNet’s top grade last year and the bottom three teams – which included Ashburton College A – from that grade and the top three from the reserve grade last year have to play off for the right to play in the top grade this season.

Those games will take place in May.

Ashburton College A will take on Craighead A in game one today and Rangiora High School’s A side in their second game.

Also on court first thing tomorrow are two other Mid Canterbury sides, Hampstead A and Celtic A, who will square off against each other.

Celtic won the Mid Canterbury premier one competition last season but had a slow start to the inter-centre competition’s opening day, beaten by Christchurch’s Kia Toa, but found their feet to beat Timaru’s Old Boys A.

After Hampstead, Celtic will take on Marist Albion, while Hampstead’s second game of the day will be against Timaru’s Harlequins A – a side which last week featured a couple of familiar Ashburton faces in Kayla Frew and Makayla Cromie.

Kia Toa also had two former Ashburton players in their shooting circle on day one – Sophie Beveridge and Chelsea Corbett – and they’re one of the sides unbeaten so far.

They will take on Rangiora High School and Craighead A tomorrow.

The runners-up in last season’s Mid Canterbury Netball premier grade competition, Methven A, will take on Old Boys A and Rolleston tomorrow, having picked up a draw and a loss on day one.

The remaining premier one games on day two will see another unbeaten side in Selwyn’s Broadfield A take on Harlequins A and Old Boys A.

Mid Canterbury has two teams competing in the premier two grade, and one of them – United A – will be a team on a mission tomorrow as they go hunting for a win.

They will take on Marist Albion, before playing UC A.

UC A picked up two wins on day one, including one over Mid Canterbury’s other premier two side, Southern A.

Tomorrow Southern A will take on Villa Maria, while in other premier two games Technical B will play both UC A and Villa Maria.

By Erin Tasker © The Ashburton Guardian - 13 April 2019