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DOUBLE ACT: Business House goal keep Melissa Elridge and goal defence Roseanne Fraser can't block Paraparaumu College goal attack Francie Graham's shot.

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Kapiti Observer

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Paraparaumu College A are Kapiti Premier netball champions after outplaying Business House 1 in a rain-soaked final at Te Atiawa Park on Saturday.

Poor weather made for a slower-paced final, with both sides having to tame their speed for fear of taking a fall on the slippery surface.

The college side made the most of BH1's slow start and dictated play from the outset. PCA stand-in coach Elise Nui said the team's midcourt was "speedy and versatile" and they did a good job of changing the tempo of the game.

PCA led by seven after the first quarter, but BH1 mounted a comeback in the second and third quarters.

BH1 coach Barbara Fairweather said once the team found their feet, they were able to challenge the highly-skilled college team.

"We took a while to get into the game, and during the second and third quarters we played really well, but we fell away in the final quarter.

"It was a different style of netball because of the rain, and players who don't drop balls were dropping balls, so it was quite slippery out there."

She said goal defence Roseanne Fraser was brilliant in defence against a very good shooting pair.

BH1 reduced the deficit to just five goals at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but the reintroduction of PCA goal shoot Shahanna Mareikura-Edmonds after a third quarter rest put the game to bed, as she shot "from left, right and centre" to spearhead a 10-goal win.

Nui said PCA "played amazing" netball, and the result was just reward for the efforts the girls had put in during the season.

"The defence cut off all access to the shooting circle, and our shooting was absolutely fantastic."

She said the team conceded few penalties, keeping pressure on BH1.

Nui said regular PCA coach Amy Atkinson, who played centre for BH1 in the final, was "extremely proud" of the team she has coached all season.

Fairweather was pleased with BH1's season, and said playing in the Kapi-Mana league before the playoffs was beneficial to Kapiti.

- Kapiti Observer

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