SAS GS Sammy MacBride takes a shot at Beau Sejour at the weekend. (Picture by Tom Tardif, 0657516)

DEFENDING champions SAS ruled the roost once again at the weekend in the Guernsey Netball Open.

The team from St Albans defeated home side Nerine A in yesterday’s final to complete an unbeaten two days at Beau Sejour in the Sports Guernsey-sponsored tournament.

‘We won it last time, so the aim was to retain it,’ said SAS captain Lucy Hitchenor. ‘It was a good weekend. Obviously it can be quite challenging [playing several short matches in two days]. You have to keep focused and you are constantly either playing or warming up or warming down. It is quite rigorous.’

SAS were favourites going into the weekend and justified their billing.

Nerine A might have run them closer in the final had they had more of their squad available, but with Claire Queripel, Gemma Loveridge, Nena Bourgaize and Sonia Grant-Yendell all missing from yesterday’s line-up, they weren’t as strong as they could have been.

However, coach James Robert took a lot of positives from the experience.