Jaded Oldham grind out a win

NETBALL: 

A DOMINANT third quarter show was key to Oldham Netball Club’s 46-36 win against Leyland in the North-West Premier League.

Suzy Chapman’s high-fliers put 17 points on the board to their opponents eight after it was all to play for with a half-time score of 19-17.

Third-placed Leyland edged the last quarter, but Oldham had already done enough to follow-up their convincing victory against Warrington a week earlier.

Unforced errors saw Oldham trail 5-2 after just five minutes, but four unanswered goals turned the scoreline on its head and they held a narrow advantage (8-7) at the first break.

The second quarter followed a similar vein, with Oldham losing possession too easily and the Leyland goal shooter converting opportunities.

Oldham managed to stretch their lead by two before grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck after Chapman had rung the changes.

Oldham found space and converted many turnovers, and though appearing jaded, a nine-point difference in the quarter (17-8) put them in control at 36-25.

Chapman said: “A win is a win, but it wasn’t pretty.”