THE Busselton Magpies had a flying start to the 2014 South West Netball Football League with two wins out of three games in their first round of the season.
Two wins and a close loss saw the Busselton Open team defeat Augusta-Margaret River Hawks 43-39. In the reserves Busselton only went down by seven to an experienced Harvey Bulls side 24-32 and in the 17's the Busselton squad dominated the Harvey Bulls to win 50 to 11.
The open team started strong to be up by 11 goals at half time.
Standouts for the Open team were Kate Duncan, Bec Pates, and Lauren Higgins.
However a massive team effort was required in order to topple the fit and agile Hawks and the Magpies didn't disappoint to hang on to win by four goals.
A great last quarter effort by Reni Samson and Jess Burge kept the ball moving strongly into the attacking third where Brady Van Wyk combined well with Kate Duncan to finish the game well.
The Reserves side also played a strong game in the face of a well-oiled and experienced Harvey Bulls side.
The unorthodox game style of the Harvey Bulls was hard to defend, however their long lobs into the circle were often intercepted by a strong defence line of Lauren McInley and Sasha Bradley.
Other strong performances for the game were Meg Thompson, Taylah McKay and Monique Baker.
The Busselton 17 and Under squad excelled in all positions at their home court, from the tight back line of Maddie Davies, Kate O'Leary and Claire Jennings defending the circle brilliantly.
The precision passing and strong leading by all centre court players was often inspiring to watch with the solid combinations of Meg Thompson, Taylah McKay Monique Baker.
One of the standout performances of the game was GA/ GS Bettina Newton, who was a rock in the attack line, her ability to not only create space in the circle, but drive and shoot effectively was a pleasure to watch. A fantastic team effort from the U17’s led them to an outstanding start to the season.
Busselton Magpies will be break for the Easter weekend, then the Open and Reserve squads head to Collie on Saturday April 26th.
The Busselton Magpies Netball Club is currently seeking community support and sponsorship.
For more information about the club or to become involved visit www.facebook.com/busseltonmagpiesnetball.
