There were no upsets but two good games in this year's Southern Highlands waterpolo competition grand finals. Both the minor premiers in A grade and B grade taking out their respective grand finals.
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In B Grade Horton's Heroes 10 defeated Bottlenose 7 at Frensham Pool on Monday night. This game began at a frenetic pace.
The ball travelled from one end to the other after being turned over regularly and plenty of goals were scored.
The narrow 4-3 lead, held by Horton's Heroes, at the end of the first quarter reflected this. Seven goals in six minutes of playing time is rapid play. The next quarter was tighter, with two goals each and only a goal separating the teams at half-time.
Horton's Heroes were not used to having such a narrow buffer and they came out firing in the third quarter.
They outscored Bottlenose 3-0 in the third period and it appeared that Bottlenose may have exhausted themselves with their fantastic effort in first half.
Bottlenose soon put that notion aside, as they turned in a strong effort in the final period, to not only match Horton's Heroes but too out score them 2-1.
Horton's Heroes have had a great season but the other B grade teams have all improved and the competition has become closer as the months have gone by.
Horton's Heroes scorers:
John Jamieson – 4
Higginson Blaik – 2
Jovi Winters – 2
Tom Parkes – 1
Samuel Townsend – 1
Bottlenose scorers:
Alex Ta-me – 4
Russel Endersby – 2
Colin Hutchison – 1
In A Grade, Dolphins 16, won convincingly against Mariners 4.
Dolphins began with real conviction and by the end of the first quarter they had set the tone with a five to one lead. Daniel Barnes was proving almost impossible to stop, as he scored three goals in this period.
Mariners slowed the scoring down to three to one in the second quarter, with Daniel Barnes adding two more.
The half-time score line of eight to two, meant the match outcome was fairly well decided but Mariners kept trying hard.
They were forced into defensive errors that led to a number of exclusions.
Dolphins capitalised on these errors and the resulting extra player advantage, converting them to goals, as they took the third quarter five to two. Daniel Barnes had scored a personal total of seven for Dolphins, in the three quarter time score of 13-4. In the final period the Dolphins scored three more unanswered goals for the 16-4 final score line.
Dolphins at full strength were always in a class of their own in this competition.
Dolphins scorers:
Daniel Barnes – 7
Chelsea Flood – 3
Steve Dunn – 2
William Harris – 1
Jack Archer – 1
Ben Canute – 1
Jack Hatcher – 1
Dolphins scorers:
Jovi Winters – 2
Campbell Wakeling – 1
Justin McCue – 1
B Grade Best and Fairest Male John Jamieson, Female Ally McCue B Grade Rookie of the Year Allie Sims
A Grade Best and Fairest Male Jovie Winters, Female Jarrah Winters A Grade Rookie of the Year Jack Hatcher.
