Telstars secure 40th flag against Sparrows

By JACK AMI
NAS Telstars secured their 40th title with a 41-36 win over reigning premiers Credit Corporation Sparrows in the Port Moresby Netball Association premier grand final at the Rita Flynn Indoor Complex on Saturday.
It was an emotional win for Veitu Diro as the club founder whipped openly and hugged all her players for their efforts all season to break their premiership drought.
Saturday’s win was their third victory against the Sparrows this season.
It was remarkable performance for Telstars in the final three quarters with veteran shooter Gamini Koroka and defenders Julianne Diro and Raka Nope leading the young Telstars to victory.
But it was not easy as the minor premiers were given a run for their money by the Sparrows who were in good form with mid-court Nerrie Adula and defender Kilala Owen and Courtney Abel absorbing pressure for large parts of the game.
Telstars limited their errors and capitalised on turnovers to create good passages of play to see Koroka and fellow shooter Eva Aua bag vital points.
The lead changed several times in all the quarters and it went down to the wire but a controlled Telstars outfit got home in the end.
The Sparrows led 9-8 in the first quarter but the next three quarters was all Telstars (18-16, 32-26 and 41-36).