AN understrength Life Studio fell agonisingly short of beating Orange Netball Association Toyota Cup minor premiers Robin Hood in Saturday’s final round but ultimately lost out, it’s a defeat which could prove costly for the young side too.
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Where a win would have seen Life Studio lock up second and a major semi-final spot, instead the 51-49 defeat sees them drop to fourth and resigns the side to playing sudden death netball.
Royal Hawks defeated OHS High A by 33 and Vipers got the chocolates against Kinross on the weekend, which moved the two blues into second and left Vipers equal on competition points with Life Studio.
Crucially, despite being stripped of a win earlier in the season, Vipers’ percentage was marginally better than Life Studio’s, gifting the navy and teals third spot.
Although, the difference between third and fourth is minimal – the two sides will play off in Saturday’s minor semi-final, with the victor going through to the preliminary playoff.
“It’s a bit disappointing to miss out having two shots in the finals, but really that wasn’t a focus it would’ve been a bonus,” Life Studio player-coach Mardi Aplin said.
“I was actually quite happy with the game on the weekend even though we went down.
“We fell off a bit in the second quarter and at one stage we were down by about 12, so the girls did a great job to fight back and only lose by two in the end.
“I’ve said it before, any of the top four teams can win this year, so fingers crossed we can play very well against Vipers.”
In Saturday’s other results, Hawks defeated High A (64-31), Vipers beat Kinross and Life Studio Mid West Eyes defeated Robin Hood Craig Harvey Mechanical (49-48) in a ripper.