College goal attack Hayley Tallentire and Hampstead’s Meg Ashworth will be key players tomorrow night in premier netball. Photo supplied.They may not have pulled off the win but Methven’s performance against Hampstead last week provided some clues as to how the form team can potentially be beaten.

Hampstead got away with a 45-41 win over the out-of-towners, however it was unsettled by a tough display from Methven, who brought plenty of aggression in defence.

As a result Hampstead were forced into mistakes they had not made in the previous weeks, however with a deadly accurate shooter in the circle, it seems everything needs to go right for the opposition if this Hampstead team is going to be toppled.

Whether College A has the experience and size to restrict Hampstead will be one of the pivotal questions as the two teams meet tomorrow night.

The AshColl girls brought both a tough edge and an unruffled composure last week as they clinched a narrow win over Celtic A.

Hampstead will secure the favouritism tag given their strengths in all areas of the court, however while College’s mid-court might be in for a torrid time, there will be some enthralling battles at both ends.

College’s Hayley Tallentire will again be key for her side in front of goal however will have to contend with Hannah Spence and Meg Ashworth for Hampstead.

Going toe-to-toe at the other end will be Hampstead’s Alice Eddington and College defender Poppy Kilworth.

Methven then takes on Celtic B in the middle game of the evening.

Celtic B proved against United last week they are not just making up the numbers as they pushed their opposition, particularly in the final quarter where United have been so strong this year.

If Methven can back up their performance from last week and channel the same dose of intent, it could be a tough outing for Celtic B.

As far as the club’s top team goes, they desperately need to re-find their mojo as they meets United in the final game on court.

It was hard-fought between the two sides in the previous round, with the green machine clinching a 27-22 win.

The biggest challenge for United will be putting together a consistent performance across all four periods if they want to retain its top spot in the championship.

By Adam Burns © The Ashburton Guardian - 12 August 2020