Kamali beat Hula to wrap up Rigo crown

By JACK AMI
KAMALI claimed major honours after they beat Hula 23-20 in the A-Grade grand final of Rigo Netball Association’s district tournament at Gomore village in Central on Wednesday.
Kamali dominated again in the B-Grade grand final with a 20-13 triumph over Kore while Kaparoko took out the masters division after edging Galemorubu 14-13.
The three-day tournament attracted top netball talents from across Rigo.
The A-Grade decider saw two undefeated sides in Kamali and Hula with Hula face each other.
“It was not easy but we executed well in the midcourt,” Kamali captain Rachel Amini Tau said.
“We had to play safe, control possession and cut down on errors to maximise our offence.”
The controlled pace in the midcourt worked out well for Kamali as they led 10-9 at halftime with their defence frustrating Hula’s attack.
Hula’s midcourt caused a lot turnovers which affected Kamali’s attack especially in the second half, however, losing captain Elisa Naime blamed their high error count for the defeat.
“We lost because we caused a lot of errors and our opposition capitalised on them to beat us,” she said.
“We also did not maintain our offence and defence like we did in the first half.”
Umpire Weka Pala and official Iamo Kaima were commended for their efforts in running the senior matches.
Association president Iammo Launa congratulated the grand finalists, supporters, visitors and the host village for a trouble-free event.
“This indicates the true spirit of Rigo which is to love one another through respect and friendship,” she said.
Meanwhile, Launa said the junior matches tipped off on Wednesday with the finals and presentations to be held today.
She warned teams to respect the rules of the tournament.
“Age cheating is not new and we want to improve the standard by being honest so that fair play prevails,” Launa said.
“Team managements were told to produce birth certificates or consent letters from the players’ schools to confirm their ages.
“It was a massive task to undertake at the grassroots level.
“But this ensures that we have teams fielding players in the correct age divisions. There’s a chance that they can be identified through the divisions.”
The Under-21 matches started on a high note with the majority of players displaying a lot of energy and speed.
Teams like Kwikila, Saroa, Gomore and Boregaina are vying for major honours in the U15, U17 and U21 divisions.