NT Links Championships Draw to a Close
The 2010 NT Links Netball Championships drew to a close on Sunday evening, culminating with the presentations of the aged division winners and most valuable player awards. Not only was the action hot on court all weekend but Saturday’s games were played in searing heat. Everybody enjoyed a reprieve in the weather on Sunday morning after some overnight rainfall cooled things off.
Following are the results for the Grand Final of each division:
13 & U – Darwin Gold (21) v Palmerston (15)
15 & U – Darwin Gold (23) v Katherine (21)
17 & U – Alice Springs (34) v Darwin Gold (21)
Open – Darwin (42) v Alice Springs (30)
MVP Awards were presented to:
13 & U – Madison Spedding (Darwin Gold)
15 & U – Georgia Walker (Katherine)
17 & U – Teniwa Ford (Alice Springs)
Open – Peta Whelan (Darwin)
The open final was once again between Darwin and Alice Springs, with Darwin determined to gain reprieve from last years defeat at the hands of Alice. In the first quarter Darwin started slowly and trailed Alice Springs into the break by 8 goals. Persistence paid dividends in the second quarter as Darwin pegged back Alice to have everything tied by the major interval. Excellent transfer of the ball into the attacking third as well as relentless defensive pressure across the entire court saw Darwin gain the upper hand in the second half. Darwin’s lead was just short of a baker’s dozen at the final whistle having maintained their intensity winning by 12 goals. Congratulations to Peta Whelan for her best and fairest performance.
Congratulations must also go to umpire Elice Crisp who was awarded her B badge at the championships. Excellent work and very deserved Elice!
Netball NT news link here.
Rule Changes for 2016
Netball Australia, along with the eight state and territory Member Organisations, will implement the new Official Rules of Netball across all associated competitions and events from 1 January 2016. The new rule changes, released by the International Netball Federation (INF), will include the elimination of whistles following goals and obvious ball out of court, amendments to injury time and changes to the out of play rule.
The new rules were voted upon and approved by the International Netball Federation Congress, as part of the INF’s ‘Game Plan’ strategy, during the Netball World Cup SYDNEY 2015 in August.
“The new rules aim to meet the changing needs of the game, reflect the modern forward looking sport of netball, improve players’ enjoyment of the game, create consistency in the interpretation of the rules across all world regions, and make the game more attractive to spectators,” Netball Australia’s Head of Community Strategy and Netball Development Anne-Marie Phippard said.
As well as these changes, the rule book has been revamped to include a new definitions section, new technical specifications, including new court terminology, a clarification of interval times, a clarification of team officials, match officials and the terminology of the court and related areas. It is important to note that the rules remain unchanged in relation to a player’s responsibility. Players on the court are still expected to respond to rulings by the umpires and adjust their play accordingly. Similar requirements apply to team officials and bench players.