IN what must have seemed a tidal wave of pink to the spectators, Grafton Netball's matches got under way on Saturday under beautiful, sunny skies.

With both sides decked out in their bright attire, the two North Side squads in the 11/12 year Division 2 competition squared off.

The North Side Divas got off to a brilliant start, thanks to some accurate shooting.

The defensive presence of the young North Side Funky Monkeys side soon evened things up.

In a fun game between these friendly teams from the same club, the Divas eventually came out on top.

The GHS Wiggles proved too strong for City Sparkles in the feature match of the intermediate division.

The Wiggles were led by an excellent shooting display from Tahlia Bratt and Taylah Firth, who kept the pressure on throughout while hardly missing a shot.

Added to that, a high-energy effort from the entire team and a strong game in the defensive circle by Ashleigh Martin, whose long reach proved dominant, caused many problems for the Sparkles.

Working hard to keep their team in the game, the Sparkles' defence from Katisha Meaney, Marsie Woods Chalize Tapping and Katelyn Warby, and a commendable effort from Annabelle Bindon in her first game, were able to keep City within sight of the lead.

However, the Wiggles' shooting skills were too good on the day and they ran out 32-18 winners.

The D-grade match between the City Surfers and the Grafton High School Noodles looked like a very even match.

It took a bit of time for both sides to hit their straps in a low-scoring first quarter.

Both teams came out shooting hot in the second stanza as the quality of play picked up.

In the second half the Noodles continued their good play and started to pull away, sealing a good win over City with strong play on the defensive end to finish things off.

What turned out to be the match of the day followed.

The B-grade clash between the Rhinos Flying Power and the Grafton High School Havies looked to be an even match and it was.

Especially the key match-up at one end featuring the stout defence of the Rhinos' GD Karlie Durrington against the offensive skills of Maddy Hartman for the Havies.

Just like the other battles all over the court, neither could really get the upper hand early.

In the third quarter, the GHS girls opened a five-goal margin, only to see the Flying Power narrow the gap to just three as the bell rang.

Everything was set for tense action in the final minutes and the Rhinos, through some desperate play, managed to level things up at 25-all and grab a share of the points.

Plenty more netball action was in store on the weekend as the Grafton representative sides travelled to Coffs Harbour, which played host to associations from throughout the region.

Best results on the day for Grafton came from the 14s, who scored five wins from their six matches.

The team has shown great improvement from earlier in the year, both in attitude and on the court, and is looking for some promising results as it prepares for the upcoming state championships.

Grafton's open side also played strongly throughout in its final hit-out before its state trip, winning all but one of its matches.

The umpiring clinic has finished until after the school holidays.

For those interested, another clinic will be held then.

Rep photos for all teams will be taken Sunday, May 27 at about 4.30pm.

Payments of all fees need to be made on Saturday, because they are overdue.