TWO early wins were not enough to start a chain of victories for the Cats on Saturday, but there were still some exciting results out of the day.

In the senior ranks, the C Grade Cats have been hunting their second win since toppling the West Gambier Roos in round one.

The girls took on the Tigers at the weekend and made no mistake – they were there to play – securing a four-goal win on home turf.

In the 17 & Unders, North had to win to guarantee hold on fourth place but the Cats were having none of it – also taking a four-goal win to see them leap-frog the Tigers, taking the coveted fourth place by percentage.

With the two feline tribes facing the two bottom sides this week and with wins likely for both the C Grade and 17 & Under Cats, margins and percentage will be important.

Following a great day out by the youngest Cats, taking on North for a 28-goal win, the 13 & Under Bs played a tight game against the Tigers, their perseverance paying off to lock in a seven-goal win and second position on the league ladder.

From the scribes

13 & Under B

CASTERTON Sandford took on North Gambier on a tight game on a very foggy morning.

The first quarter saw the Cats start off strong with a four-goal lead.

Phoebe Rhook had her eye in, not missing a goal.

She provided strong diving and holding in the circle.

Adele Murphy fed very well into the circle and provided options around the circle.

In the second quarter, Chloe Kurzman provided a tight defence on her shooter and got her hands to many balls forcing many turnovers.

Renee Gorman came on into the goals and shot the three goals for the quarter.

She manages to work tirelessly to get any loose ball or rebound.

Our very determined centre, Marlee Robbins put in maximal effort in, all over the court.

She continuously drives and provides all the girls with a strong option.

At half-time the girls were up by one.

The third quarter, in what was progressing into a tight match, saw Ella McKinnon driving through the centre court providing an option bringing the ball out of defence.

Nicole Cornish moved into wing attack and went out and did everything asked of her.

She drove at the ball and her passes hit her targets.

The quarter ended up with both teams scoring four-apiece.

Casterton Sandford entered the last quarter up by one and the girls were not going to let North take the win.

Ylana Grigg shut down her goal shooter, leaving her scoreless.

She took on feedback and stuck tight to her player intercepting almost every ball.

Rachel Forbes also is a key player in the defensive circle, forcing the opposition to create errors.

Rachel is also a strong option down to court, bringing the ball into the offensive end.

The girls played a great team game and finished off with a seven-goal win.

A Grade

ANOTHER week, another demonstration of outstanding shooting from Caroline Wakefield for North Gambier and if defensive combinations don’t get enough help from their mid court in slowing the ball movement, Wakefield will position strongly and finish accurately from the first whistle to the last.

The star Tigers shooter converted 58 from 61, shooting a perfect 18 from 18 in the second quarter and 16 from 16 in the last.

It was a masterclass that no defensive combination could stop and it made for a tough day out for the Casterton Sandford defensive unit of Ebany Jarrad, Caeleigh Humphries and Tess Marra, who also had a rare stint in goal keeper to try and curb the influence of Wakefield.

At the other end, things weren’t much easier for the Cats as the defensive unit of the Tigers refused to allow them time and space.

Libby Morgan was relentless at wing defence in her commitment to denying easy access to the circle’s edge and when the ball was turned over, she was a key link player in transition, while Mel Renko and Zahra Crough combined well in the defensive circle to make scoring as difficult as possible.

Ivy Lane, Madalene Cleary and Charlotte Rice worked hard in the shooting circle and while they weren’t as accurate as Wakefield, they did make the most of their rare opportunities to make sure their team-mates’ efforts were reflected on the scoreboard.

Cleary moved to centre for the second half and her leadership through the middle and her combination with Scarlett Jarrad gave the Cats some stability, but in the end, the Tigers had too much firepower all over the court and the scoreline ended up 70 to 29.

RD 11 PREVIEW: A Grade - West Gambier V Casterton Sandford

WEST Gambier made light work of South Gambier at the weekend and they will be looking to again secure a comprehensive victory when they host Casterton Sandford.

That Cats are coming off a tough outing where they tried to curb the scoring of North’s Caroline Wakefield and things don’t get any easier this weekend with Sarah Ritter, back from injury in round 10, showing great form, both with her movement and her accuracy.

And when she has the likes of Lisa McGregor, Mikaela Horrigan and Tara Bryant feeding her the ball, much will rely on the pressure on the outside of the circle as much as it will the tenacity of Cats defenders Ebany Jarrad and Caeleigh Humphries.

At the other end, Amy Cram and Jade Ritter continue to be a tough defensive duo to score against and Madalene Cleary, Charlotte Rice and Ivy Lane will need to be strong with their moves and the delivery from Scarlett Jarrad and Makayla Hutchins will need to be precise.

The Roos, along with Millicent, are the most settled line-up in the competition, basically playing the same seven almost every week and their on-court chemistry will challenge the Cats, who have not yet been able to put out a settled combination due to injury and player unavailability.

Tess Marra had a stint in the defensive circle last weekend for the Cats and she might again be deployed in that role to minimise the influence of Sarah Ritter as the Cats look to mitigate the scoreboard damage.