SATURDAY'S WESTERN Union Division B final will be contested between unbeaten Torrington Park and Skibo 'A', after the teams racked up thrilling victories in their respective semi-finals at the Leila Robinson Courts on Tuesday.
In the first semi-final, where Skibo faced the threat of Waulgrovians 'B', the expected fireworks began early. From the get-go, Skibo pushed into the lead, ending the first quarter with an 8-4 lead that belied how close the teams were.
In the second quarter things got a little tighter for the eventual finalists, as they could only manage a 15-14 lead.
"I knew this would have been a tough game because the Waulgrovians team never gives up, not even in the last second," said Skibo head coach Wayne Stewart.
He was right, because in the third quarter, Waulgrovians turned on the pressure on the young Skibo line-up and not only closed the slim gap but took a two-point lead at 24-22 to end the third.
At the beginning of the fourth, they looked like holding on to that lead but found Skibo just as determined as they were. With eight minutes and 31 seconds to go in the fourth, the scores were even and Skibo had the ball.
They would not turn back, as their crushing defence forced the Waulgrovians attack to collapse. They eventually emerged 32-28 victors.
The second semi-final between Speg 'A' and Torrington Park, two unbeaten teams, was just as exciting.
The 30-24 win that Torrington claimed didn't do justice to Speg's effort but showed that you have to play the game in its entirety.
"I had said the team that made the most mistakes would lose this game and Speg made some crucial errors towards the latter part of the game and that cost them," said Torrington coach Phillip St. Marie.
The first quarter ended 7-6 in favour of Speg, but they would never lead again.
Knockout stage action continues at the Leila Robinson Courts this evening with the semi-finals of the Supreme Ventures A and C leagues tipping off at 6:00 p.m.
In the Division A semi-finals, Hampshire 'A' will play Raven United, while Alexander Strikers go up against Molynes United.
In Division C, Speg have another chance to redeem themselves as their 'B' team takes on Friendship, while Molynes will play Police 'C'.
