Edenhope-Apsley players were celebrating a thrilling one-goal win against Noradjuha-Quantong following their Horsham District A Grade netball clash on Saturday – all that remained was to sign the score sheet.

But the sheet told a different story.

According to the official scorebook, the game had ended in a 40-40 draw, but the electronic scoreboard at Edenhope Recreation Reserve showed the Saints ahead 40-39.

Captains and coaches of both teams convened to double-check the result and concluded it was a draw.

Saints coach Lavinia Fox said it was a disappointing revelation for her team, which passed the ball around in the final 20 seconds of the fourth quarter to protect what it believed was a one-goal lead, rather than try for what would have been a game-winning score.

But Fox said a draw was the correct result, and a fitting outcome in a game during which neither side led by more than three goals.

“We played as if we had the lead and tried to drain the clock because we thought we were ahead, and it came out in the wash after the game that the scoresheet reflected a draw,” she said.

“It’s just one of those things. You rely on volunteers to do the scoreboard on a Saturday so it’s no one’s fault.

“We just called a spade a spade and decided to go by what the scorebook said.

“I think the draw just reflects how close it was. I think it’s also reflective of how tough the conditions were on the weekend with the wind.”

Defying the conditions to finish with 32 goals was Saint goalie Dee Dee Lambert, converting her shots at a 78 per cent rate, while the Bombers as a team hit only 55 per cent of their attempts.

But Noradjuha-Quantong goalie Shannon Couch was able to secure plenty of offensive rebounds, giving her team a 73-60 edge in overall shot attempts.

Couch’s partner in goals, Bomber coach Taylor Shelley, was outstanding, as was defender Leah Mirtschin, who helped keep Fox quiet.

The Saints also got stellar defensive play out of keeper Danielle Grindlay, who played on a revolving door of opponents including Couch, Shelley and Ashlee Morrish.

Fox was full of praise for Grindlay, along with midcourters Hayley Campbell and Holly Whitehead.

“Danielle had a really strong game with plenty of rebounds and deflections,” she said.

“I think it’s a testament to her that they had to use some versatility through their goaling circle and change up what they were doing.” Fox said the game had yielded a silver lining despite the shock revelation of a draw.

“Particularly in those moments of the fourth quarter when we thought we were up by one, we played with a lot of composure and were able to move the ball around and make safe decisions, so I was actually really impressed with how the players handled those pressure moments,” she said.

In other results at the weekend, Pimpinio earned a second straight win by beating Taylors Lake 39-36, with Tahlia Thompson and Mikayla Dumesny sharing the load in attack.

Natimuk United outclassed Swifts 42-27 thanks to captain Beth Sudholz’s strong play, Kalkee beat Rupanyup 50-24 as recruit Emily Langley played her best game yet for her new club, and Laharum overpowered Kaniva-Leeor United 68-33.

Headlining round five will be Noradjuha-Quantong’s home blockbuster against Laharum, with the teams occupying the top two ladder positions.

Other games will see Kaniva-Leeor United host Kalkee, Taylors Lake travel to Rupanyup, Edenhope-Apsley make a long road trip to play Swifts at North Park and Harrow-Balmoral at home against Natimuk United.

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