Weekly Advertiser | Good Friday lived up to its name for Ararat’s A Grade netballers, with the team posting its first win in more than 600 days in front of an enthusiastic band of home supporters.

The Rats went winless on their way to last season’s wooden spoon, and had not tasted victory since round 16 of 2023, but were undaunted against the visiting Stawell – a finals side last season. 

From the opening centre pass Ararat moved the ball confidently, working it to goal shooter Faith Biddle for the first score of the game.

Goal attack Maggie Astbury showed off her offensive rebounding prowess on the next possession, tracking down her own miss to give Biddle her second goal.

At the other end of the court, Paige Biddle, playing at goal defence, worked hard to deny Stawell opportunities, forcing deflections and grabbing misses.

The Rats’ defensive efforts proved stifling in the first quarter, with the Warriors only able to score five goals for the term as they trailed by 13 goals at the first break.

In the second quarter Stawell was able to get itself on track, with goal shooter Ayva Mitchell netting 13 of her team’s 15 goals for the term.

But the Warriors were able to make only modest inroads on the scoreboard, with the Rats converting 11 shots of their own to maintain a nine-goal lead at half time.

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