Can Maple eliminate Elite for the title today?

A defensive blunder which almost cost Shamrock a player

MAY 23, 2010; St. Kitts – Today Sunday, Elite Strikers of Saint Lucia will face Vita Malt Maple of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in what is the championship decider in the 2010 Courts-sponsored OECS Club Netball Championship, at the Pam Tyson Netball Stadium in Basseterre St. Kitts.

The two combatants will face each other after they registered strong victories on Saturday evening over Fort Knox Aces of Dominica, and Coca-Cola Shamrock of St. Kitts, respectively.

On Court Two, Maple handed Aces their fourth consecutive defeat, leading in all quarters 14 – 09, 27 – 21, 48 – 29, winning at the end 67 – 38.

Maple’s Skiddy Crick continued her shooting dominance with an 88-percent performance, netting 60 of her 68 attempts.

Also netting for Maple was Roseclair Hall with 6 of 10 attempts, and Thelma Foster one of five attempts.

For Aces, Jennifer Nanton led the effort with 25 scored of 45 attempts, and Cynthia Joseph 13 of 18 attempts.

Following the observation of a one-minute silence by all four teams in memory of Saint Lucia photo-journalist Francis Tobias who was buried in Saint Lucia on Saturday afternoon, Elite Strikers and Shamrock began their battle, and what a see-saw exchange it was in the first quarter.

Interception of passes and steals, kept the spectators on the edge of their seats, with Elite holding on to a slim 10 – 06 first quarter lead.

Aces of Dominica was determined not to be roughed up by Maple of St.Vincent and the Grenadines

However Shamrock began to lose the plot, and with their usual grittiness, Elite Strikers maintain the lead at the end of the second quarter – 22 – 14.

That lead was established to 35 – 23 at he end of the third quarter, and despite a valiant fight back, Shamrock was defeated 45 – 31, to send the tournament into a decider between the two clubs from Saint Lucia and St. Vincent and the grenadines, respectively.

However, there is still a battle of honour tomorrow between neighbours Coca-Cola Shamrock of St. Kitts, and Stoney Grove Untouchables in the final game of the 2010 Courts-sponsored OECS Club Netball Championship, following the decider.

It will be left to see how the Kittitian players take to the court following the taking to hospital of one of their players who fell during the game’s second quarter and hit her head very hard.

She was taken to hospital minutes after the game ended; a sad note to what is turning out to be a very exciting, action pack tournament.