Flawless Fire defend Premiership league title

FIRE successfully completed their defence of the Courts All Sectors Netball League Premiership Division league title on Saturday, after dropping their nearest challengers Police Youth Club (PYC) 31-28.

PYC entered the match with only one league defeat to their name this season and could have overtaken the leaders with a victory by a wide margin. Fire, who entered the match having already won all their previous league matches, needed only a draw to lift the title, and could have even do so even with a narrow defeat.

Regardless, Fire ended the first quarter with a 8-5 lead, and the half with an 18-16 advantage, which they never relinquished.

Goal-shoot Ronald Phipps led for Fire with 19 goals from 28 attempts which, despite it being far from his highest or most economical goal tally, was just about good enough to see them over the line. Phipps was ably supported by goal-attack Simone Morgan, who added 12/19.

PYC's goal-shoot Tahira Hollingsworth scored a match-high 22 goals.

Fabrice Fisher, another outstanding player for PYC this season, managed only six goals from 15 tries.

In the day's two other final Premiership Division matches, Defence Force got past UTC 33-27 and Police edged Las Lomas Academy 45-42.

Leading Defence Force's charge was goal-shoot Afeisha Noel with 16/28, while Aquila Blugh, a member of last year's senior MVP team, scored the name number of goals but in 34 attempts for UTC.

In Police's win, goal-shoot Steve McSween led the protective services with the day's highest individual tally – 37/59, while Keon Russell was at his best scoring 26/30, albeit in a losing effort for Las Lomas. Other members of the Russell clan, Raquel and Immanuel Russell, scored 7/15 and 4/13, respectively, for Las Lomas.

Meanwhile, there were two Championship Division league matches on Saturday, the second of which saw Bermudez, who already successfully defended their 2018 crown, adding icing on the cake with a 37-31 victory over Defence Force.

Bermudez were led by Makeda de Freitas, a 2018 Junior All Star Team member, who scored 27/39. Her namesake Makeda Pierre scored 20/30 for Defence Force.

TSTT defeated Jabloteh 37-22 in the other Championship match.

The Championship Division league competition will conclude today with two matches.

Bermudez and Miscellaneous Laventille United will meet in the first from 5.30 pm, before Defence Force and Jabloteh meet at 6.45 pm.

Only the Premiership Division Knock-out competition tomorrow and the final of the same competition on Thursday will precede the Courts ASNL closing awards ceremony, which is scheduled for Saturday at the Eastern Regional Indoor Sports Arena, Tacarigua, at 3 pm.

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