BALLARAT Sovereigns get an opportunity to quickly bounce back from a tough start to the Victorian Netball League championship season.
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The new entity, which has taken the place of Ballarat Pride in the state’s top netball competition in 2015, suffered back-to-back defeats in a double-header of matches at the weekend.
Ballarat went down by 23 goals to Peninsula Waves in the season-opener on Saturday afternoon before suffering defeat at the hands of Yarra Valley Grammar Ariels on Sunday morning.
Both matches were played at the State Netball and Hockey Centre in Parkville, which will host round three on Wednesday night.
Sovereigns championship coach Natasha Chokljat said there were some positives out of the team’s two encounters, which saw all squad members get time on court.
“I hate losing, everyone hates losing, but we knew it wasn’t going to be an easy one,” she said.
“We did pick quite a young, inexperienced team, and from the start it has been about building foundations for the future and looking forward.”
Chokljat said the team wasted opportunities and that was something that needed to be addressed, but overall she believed there were some “very pleasing signs”.
There was some joy in the club’s first weekend on court with the 19/unders claiming wins over the Waves and Ariels.
The Sovereigns were 12-goal victors against the Waves and then completed the double on Sunday with an eight-goal win over the Ariels.
Ballarat will take on DC North East Blaze in championship, division one and 19/under matches on Wednesday evening.
RESULTS
ROUND 1
Saturday
CHAMPIONSHIP
Peninsula Waves 11 26 37 58
Sovereigns 11 19 27 35
Sovereigns scoring: Cynna Kydd (25 goals @ 84 per cent), Jordyn Bibby (10 @ 46)
DIVISION 1
Peninsula Waves 8 22 35 48
Sovereigns 10 19 23 33
Sovereigns scoring: Hayley Fidler (22 @ 74), Jess Parry (6 @ 55), Amy Starzer (5 @ 56)
19/UNDER
Sovereigns 16 29 38 49
Peninsula Waves 7 15 28 37
Sovereigns scoring: Abbey Ryan (19 @ 80), Sacha McDonald (19 @ 87), Zoe Ottavi (7 @ 78), Lauren Jew (4 @ 67)
ROUND 2
Sunday
CHAMPIONSHIP
Yarra Valley Grammar Ariels 15 36 54 68
Sovereigns 11 20 31 49
Sovereigns scoring: Cynna Kydd (32 goals @ 85%), Jordyn Bibby (15 @ 84), Laura McDonald (2 @ 100)
DIVISION 1
Yarra Valley Grammar Ariels 9 18 29 45
Sovereigns 8 20 28 36
Sovereigns scoring: not submitted
19/UNDER
Sovereigns 12 28 40 50
Yarra Valley Grammar Ariels 12 18 31 42
Sovereigns scoring: Abbey Ryan (16 @ 64), Lauren Jew (14 @ 88), Zoe Ottavi (11 @ 92), Sacha McDonald (9 @ 75)
tim.oconnor@fairfaxmedia.com.au