Juniors at the double

NETBALL:

OLDHAM Netball Club’s juniors had plenty to smile about after the under-14s and under-16s took the North-West titles.

The younger group had to dig deep to see off a persistent Trafford side, who had a four-point lead at the end of the third quarter.

Oldham held a narrow 21-18 advantage at half-time, but changes to the team disrupted their flow. Trafford capitalised and went 33-29 ahead. Oldham didn’t panic but played some spectacular netball, storming back to clinch a 45-40 victory.



::OLDHAM under-16s started poorly against Tameside but terrific defensive play from Gabby Marshall and Olivia Jarvis helped build up a 14-10 cushion.

Tameside benefited from Oldham’s failure to penetrate the shooting circle and managed to claw back a goal at the interval (24-21).

An injury to goal attack Siobhann McGlaughlin saw Marshall take over her role, while wing defence Olivia Jarvis moved to centre. Oldham took the changes in their stride and stormed into a 36-27 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Disaster struck when Jarvis picked up an injury in the final quarter. Tameside reduced some of the deficit, but Oldham soldiered on for a 46-40 win.



::BOTH teams will represent the North-West in the National finals, to be held in May.