Devils come up second best

Netball on Grand Final day didn’t turn out the way the Darley Devils would’ve hoped, with both the A Grade and Under 19s sides going down to their North Ballarat rivals.

In the A Grade, North showed why they were favourites in a dominant display, outscoring or equalling Darley in every quarter to ensure they couldn’t bridge the gap.

Though scores were close at quarter time – North on 9 and Darley on 6 – a 16 goal to 8 second quarter put North well ahead. To their credit, the Devils matched North with 10 goals each in the third quarter, but North clinched the cup with 47 goals at full time to Darley’s 34.

North’s Maddy Selmon was a deserving Best on Court winner, with a whopping 26 goals.

It was a more tense battle in the Under 19s, with North Ballarat leading by 3 at quarter time and 5 at half time, before an inspire 9 to 3 goal third quarter Darley’s way put the Devils up 19 to 18.

In the final quarter, North managed to nab the silverware by the barest of margins, breaking the Devils hearts with a 24 to 23 win.

But there were still smiles on Devils faces, and some silverware to take from the day, after Addison Wright took the Under 19s Best on Court.