With St Clement already having recorded one win over Convent this season it is now their title to lose as they have a four-point advantage over the reigning champions.
The pressure of the occasion was evident in the game which, as always, was a high tempo end-to-end affair, as it was not without a number of unforced errors.
However, the pace and agility of both teams made for an entertaining, if rather cold, hour for the 60 or so spectators.
St Clement led 12-10 after the first quarter, but it was Convent who stepped things up to take a 19-18 lead into half time, forcing interceptions on a regular basis to upset the opposition.
Their lead was extended to 28-25 after the third period but Saints converted a late flurry of turnovers to take the lead in the closing minutes before Convent levelled the score just before the final whistle.
‘It was a fair result,’ said St Clement captain, Zoe Hotton, after the match.
‘It was an outstanding game and both sides worked so hard with everyone fighting for every ball and giving one hundred per cent.
‘I think normally we panic and throw the balls away but we stayed more focused and played good possession netball.
Even though we were down in the last quarter we brought it back and just kept going and now we’ve drawn we only need two more wins, I think, for the title.’
Convent coach Linda Andrews had nothing but praise for her young side.
‘The improvement we’ve made this season is amazing,’ she said.
‘The skill and the attitude is so positive and I’m so proud of what they’ve achieved – the progress of the team is what we are after, that’s what we work for, and they did very well, especially considering the average age is under 20 so there is definitely something to build on.’
Julia Quant was consistently impressive to take the player of the match honour for St Clement while Jacy Brown, whose link-up play with Lynsey Pitman and Sophie Hickey gave Convent a real fluency on court, won her side’s award.
Umpires: Paul Adamson and Aileen Binnie.
