Isle of Man Netball league reports and results from matches played on Sunday, January 9:

Premiership Division.

Route 1 Connections 24,

Manx Fellas 24

This was always going to be an exciting game, with Connections having taken the reverse fixture earlier in the season by only a few goals.

AON Manx Fellas have improved vastly over the campaign though and have been producing some great performances, therefore this game could have gone either way.

Fellas started off the game strongly with some direct centre passes going straight to goal thanks to Rob Mason and Tony Eccles with sharp passes between each other and into the circle.

The addition of Jason Philbin to the squad brought a great defensive pressure from the attack and this resulted in Fellas gaining second opportunities at goal and the first quarter finished Fellas 9, Route 1 Connections 3.

The second quarter saw a very similar game, with pressure applied from both sides. Some great defensive set-ups from Fellas resulted in Mason making interceptions from set penalties while defensive duo Stephen Mulhern and Neil Cowley claimed some loose passes in the circle.

Towards the end of the quarter Route 1 looked set in their stride and upped their game, playing the ball short and fast with Cassy Pizzey and Sara Watterson restricting the movement of Fellas in attack and they started to make the comeback.

Connections made some changes going into the third quarter which saw Katrina Keeling go into GS with Nicola Spencer in GA.

The Fellas defence worked hard to prevent any easy balls going in but Route 1’s mid-court of Rhian Evans and Holly Burgess played the ball until the shooters had managed to open up some space.

As such, Connections began to gain on their opponents and the quarter ended Fellas 17, Route 1 16.

Going into the final quarter it was all to play for and both teams put up a spectacular fight, working hard to try to make a turnover for their side and there were some great circle edge tips from Zahed Miah of Manx Fellas.

This game could have gone either way, with the defensive pressure of Route 1 and the quick passing and movement of Fellas’ attack seeing Michael Pardoe relax into his shooting position and sinking some vital shots in the last quarter.

In the end the game ended 24-all, a very fair scoreline for a fantastic game of netball, demonstrating that it was a game of hard work and patience.

Player of the match was Rhian Evans for Route 1 Connections.

Championship

Manx Gems Sapphires 24,

Simcocks Green Eagles 21

The game started with Simcocks Greens’ Mitchell (C) taking first centre, who worked hard with Munro (WA) to try and get the ball in the D.

But Sapphires’ GK Leece intercepted the ball and the first goal was taken by her team-mate GS Fitzgerald. At the end of the first quarter, the score was 6-3 to Manx Gems Sapphires.

The second period started with a Sapphire centre and Kelly (GS) got the shot away to start the quarter off successfully.

Simcocks came back fighting with amazing intercepts from Howland (GK) and the ball was worked down the court by Skelly (GD) and Craig (WD).

Simcocks shooters Osbourn (GS) and Skehan (GA) played a great game and scored many goals, with the score at the end of the second quarter standing at 18-11 to Sapphires.

The third quarter saw Manx Gems take back more control of the game with great defending from Halsall (GD) and Baines (C) as they turned over the ball. But Simcocks weren’t going to let the ball go from their grip and put up a great wall of defence throughout the court.

Simcocks (GS) Szetu produced some great shots and (WA) Cowley supported the attackers by helping to get the ball into the D. At the end of the third period, the score was 21-16 to Sapphires.

During the last quarter, Simcocks dominated the court and worked brilliantly in getting the ball down to their shooters despite Sapphire’s WD making it difficult for them, while Sapphires’ (WA) Jones fought well in feeding the ball to their attackers.

The end result was a close 24-21 victory to Manx Gems Sapphires and the player of the match went to Simcocks’ (WA) Anna Munro.

Division One

Suntera Global

Ballasalla Drifts 32,

Atla Group Panthers 30

The match started with Ballasalla only having six players, missing their GA.

Although Panthers used this to their advantage by taking an early lead ending in 8-5, Ballasalla’s Rebecca Boot (GS) coped well playing solo in the D until her GA arrived.

Both sides came out strong after the first break with Ballasalla claiming the first goal. There was some excellent shooting from Panthers’ Courtney Quinn (GA) and Robyn Millar (GS) plus great play from defensive duo Kerry (GK) and Jess Edmonds (GD).

There was clear fight from Ballasalla in this quarter, with some strong mid-court turnovers from Ballasalla’s Janet Lawrinson (WA).

It proved to be an energetic quarter from both sides, ending in another lead for Panthers 17-14.

The third period saw Panthers’ energy wane and, despite the latter’s height in the D, Ballasalla’s Steph Haslett (GD) and Daisy Downs (GK) defended every pass as their side worked hard for possession, ending the period with a two-goal lead 22-20.

Into the final quarter and it was clear both teams were mindful of the tight score. There were some slick movements from Panthers’ Helen Gibson (C) and Kirsten McIntosh (WA) who fed the ball into the D, while there was a cohesion of passes mid-court.

Outstanding shooting from Ballasalla’s Boot (GS) made Panthers defence next to impossible.

A tightly-fought last quarter from both sides ended with a close win to Ballasalla by two goals and player of the match going to Drifts’ Boot.

Division Two

Ramsey Scarlets 15,

Thompson Travel 3 - 22

Ramsey Scarlets won the toss and took the first centre pass before the game progressed with play passing nicely up and down the court with accurate passing by both teams. At the end of the first quarter the score was level at three-all.

The next quarter saw the Thompson team pull ahead with eight goals scored by Zharah Hewlett (GS) and Izzy Winchester (GA).

Mid-court players Charlotte Christian (WA) and Emily Kirkham (C) fed the ball into the circle and the shooters worked well together to get the ball going through the net every time.

Ramsey gained four goals and the half-time score was Thompson 11, Ramsey 7.

Play in the second half was steady as Ramsey gained possession after good interceptions from their GD, using the height of their GK, they picked up missed goals from Thompson.

Sending the ball down the court, they delivered some great passes to their shooters and the quarter finished with Thompson holding onto the lead 15-11.

The final period saw Thompson’s Hewlett (GS) back on form scoring a run of goals. Good interceptions by Thompson’s Lydia Wylie (GD) and Julia Carrol (GK) meant they gained possession from Ramsey and passed the ball nicely to Grace Maddocks (WD), which then saw them working well through centre court and getting the ball into the circle.

This resulted in Thompson getting their first win of the season with the final score standing at 22-15. Zharah Hewlett was awarded player of the match - a well-deserved accolade.