Manchester Spurs players pose with the winning trophy along with head coach Connie Francis (right) and assistant coach Patricia Jackson (left). Spencer Darlington photo
The Manchester Spurs are champions of the Berger Elite League netball competition for the first time after beating defending champions Kingston Hummingbirds 71-65 in extra-time in the deciding game of the best of three finals at the National Indoor Sports Centre on Saturday night.
The Spurs held quarterly leads of 14-12; 28-26 and 42-40 but a late rally by the Hummingbirds forced extra-time as the regular period ended at 54-54. The Spurs outscored their opponents 17-11 in the extra-time period.
The Connie Francis-coached Manchester Spurs were led by goal-attack Anna-Kay Griffiths who shot 41 goals from 42 attempts while goal-shooter Gezelle Allisson had 31 of 35.
Goal-attack Shanice Beckford poured in 44 goals from 51 attempts for the Hummingbirds while goal-shooter Sabrina Spence had 20 from 28. Allison was named MVP of the game but turned the award over to Griffiths who she felt had more impact on the game for the Spurs.
The Hummingbirds won the opening game 58-49 while the Spurs rallied to win game 2 57-53 to force a deciding game 3.
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