Impressive wins for Holmwood in ISSA netball

HOLMWOOD TECHNICAL’s netballers continued their outstanding form in the ISSA rural schoolgirls’ competition with impressive wins in their rescheduled second-round matches at GC Foster College yesterday.

In the final matches of the round, the Carline Graham-Powell-coached senior and junior teams hit top form two days ahead of the quarterfinals to be played at the same venue. The junior team, the defending all-island champions got by May Day High 41-15 while the senior team brushed aside Manchester High 74-13.

In the senior game, Manchester, who defeated the 12-time champions in the second round last year, were expected to give the former winners their biggest test for the season. However, Holmwood, who are unbeaten this season, made their intentions clear very early and raced to a 19-5 first quarter lead. They scored 19 points in each of the next two quarters and 14 in the final quarter to complete another crushing victory.

Coach Graham-Powell described the game as “lacklustre”.

“I am happy with the win but I think the game was a bit lacklustre. We came into the game without one of our top players and knowing that they were already in the quarterfinals, the girls just went through the motions,” said Graham-Powell.

Despite dominating all teams this season, Graham-Powell is not taking anything for granted. “We will not be taking things for granted going into the quarterfinals as we still have some little things to work on and we will be going back to the drawing board. I think we will still dominate the games to come because the girls have put in the hard work and they love to win,” she said.

Defending senior champions Glenmuir High were also in action yesterday. In their final match of the round at The Queen’s School, the Ryan Reid-coached team had a big 59-10 win over Titchfield High to also remain unbeaten going into the quarterfinals

Other matches

In other senior matches played yesterday at Queen’s, Denbigh High got by Morant Bay High 52-8, Hampton High defeated Manning’s 29-19 at St Elizabeth Technical High (STETHS) and Cambridge High edged Maggotty High 28-27 at Manning’s School.

In junior action Manchester topped Herbert Morrison Technical 33-16 at GC Foster College and STETHS got the better of Cambridge 25-16 at Manning’s.

Yesterday also saw the rescheduled urban Group Two junior game between the previously unbeaten Queen’s and Jose Marti High at GC Foster College. The Marvette Anderson-coached Queen’s won 23-16 to top the group and will meet defending champions St Hugh’s High in Friday’s semifinal. Jose Marti will go up against Wolmer’s Girls in the other semifinal at the Leila Robinson Courts.