ANZ Championship netball round 4: NSW Swifts unbeaten as Caitlin Bassett, Firebirds create history

IT was the round where a sharpshooter and an Aussie club rewrote history as the NSW Swifts protected their ANZ Championship top billing. NETBALL WRAP.

Amanda Lulham

@amandalulham

2 min read

April 26, 2016 - 10:32AM

Supplied Editorial Swifts Susan Pettitt shoots in the second half. NSW SWIFTS V Adelaide THUNDERBIRDS, Swifts win 68

Women's sport

Don't miss out on the headlines from Women's sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.

IT was the round where a sharpshooter wrote her name in history along with an Australian team.

There was history, heroics and some fine shooting in what was a compelling fourth round of the ANZ championships.

Fever’s Caitlin Bassett was the star of the show as she became the first Australian shooter to crack 4000 goals in the competition.

Sydney Swifts star Caitlin Thwaites topscored for her club on the weekend.

The Queensland Firebirds made it an extraordinary 17 straight wins with their victory in Adelaide.

And the Swifts emerged triumphant from what was the game of the round.

All this and more in this week’s ANZ Championship netball wrap.

NSW SWIFTS v WEST COAST FEVER

What a game!

And for half of it looked like the West Cast Fever could pull off the pest of he early season by downing the star-studded Swifts.

But in the end the Swifts, trailing by one at halftime, came home strongly to take a surprisingly emphatic 11-goal win.

Diamonds and West Coast Fever shooter Caitlin Bassett created history as the first Australian to net 4000 goals..

The match saw Fever shooter Caitlin Bassett shoot her 4000th goal in the final quarter.

This made her the first Australian to achieve the feat after Jamaican Romelda Aiken hit the milestone last season.

Unfortunately the 63-52 score line was not the result Fever wanted for the match.

Caitlin Thwaites was a standout for the Swifts, netting an impressive 38 goals despite some intense defence.

Swifts shooting Statistics

Caitlin Thwaites 39/45 (83%)

Susan Pettitt 24/26 (92%)

Fever Shooting Statistics

Caitlin Bassett 38/42 (90%)

Natalie Medhurst 14/17 (82%)

MVP: Caitlin Thwaites (Swifts)

QUEENSLAND FIREBIRDS v ADELAIDE THUNDERBIRDS

The Firebirds were well rewarded for their 58-46 victory over Thunderbirds in their match-up on Saturday.

The win saw the team rack up the NZ Championship’s longest winning streak record.

Other milestones in the match included Gabi Simpson playing in her 50th match and shooter Kristina Bruce making her competition debut for the Thunderbirds.

Thunderbirds shooter Carla Borrego was out injured in round four.

The Firebirds and the Swifts are now the only unbeaten Australian teams in the competition after four rounds.

And on Saturday the Firebirds were never really pressed in their away match against a Thunderbirds side which his week was without gun shooter Carla Borrego with a knee injury.

Firebirds shooting Statistics

Romelda Aiken 37/46 (80%)

Gretel Tippett 21/32 (66%)

Beryl Friday 0/1 (0%)

Thunderbirds Shooting Statistics

Kristina Brice 28/24 (82%)

Erin Bell 18/27 (67%)

MVP: Kim Ravaillion (Firebirds)

SOUTHERN STEEL v CENTRAL PULSE

Another fairly emphatic victory in a round expected to produce some close calls.

Steel defeated Pulse 67-54 to remain the only undefeated team in the New Zealand conference. — the first time the club has strung together four wins at the start of a season.

Jhaniele Fowler-Reid, as usual, played a major role in the victory with her 41 goals from 47 attempts at 87%.