Foga Road in first rural netball final

Richard Bryan, STAR Writer

Little-known Foga Road High upstaged the more established Denbigh 34-30 in Mandeville yesterday to reach their first ever Digicel/ISSA rural senior netball final.

Foga Road's opponents in the final will be defending champions Holmwood Technical, who silenced the huge Manchester High home support to win 37-24.

Denbigh made amends in the junior semi-final, easily dispatching Knox 24-11, while St Elizabeth Technical got the better of Edwin Allen 27-23 in the other semi-final.

The talk of the day was undoubtedly Foga Road's performance. They had entered the semi-final, the first time in either junior or senior, after edging Knox 32-30. They were expected to fight but not overpower the losing finalists Denbigh. Moreover, Denbigh had the psychological edge, having won their lone preliminary-zone encounter 26-19.

However, led by a vibrant band of supporters, Foga Road asserted themselves quickly and led from start to finish. They led the first quarter 10-5, the second 18-13 and the third 25-22. Coach Nicole Mais-Bennett, who had previous experience at Kingsgate Prep and Penwood High, was not surprised at the final result, as she said they had done their homework.

"We had Denbigh in the first round, so we knew what they had to offer. We know we had to improve on defence, and it was a crucial difference today."

tactical edge

Her comments mirrored the tactical edge in the game where goalkeeper Kimone Kerr was the most outstanding player in the match.

Despite an early lead by Manchester, Holmwood gradually built a tough game around a fit all-round team.

Manchester's hopes were largely pinned on the talent of goal attack April Thompson. However, Thompson had too much workload, having to come deep to usher passes forward and then get back in a position to collect and shoot. She ended as Manchester's top shooter with 13 from 14 attempts. However, Holmwood's goal shooter Nicole Dixon was provided with passes easily and consistently, getting 32 goals from 48 attempts.

Holmwood Technical's Nicole Dixon making an attempt at goal during the Digicel/ISSA rural senior netball semi-final against Manchester High yesterday. Holmwood won 37-24. - Richard Bryan