Bathurst and Orange High School draw 41-all in an enthralling Astley Cup netball game

Following an hour of intense netball action there was nothing that could split hosts Bathurst High School and perennial powerhouse Orange High School in a 41-all draw.

Playing in front of an incredibly vocal crowd, even by the standards of the Astley Cup, the lead exchanged hands several times throughout an unpredictable final quarter.

Orange had the last opportunity to score when starting from the centre with 14 seconds remaining but an overthrown pass down the court left the game deadlocked on the final whistle.

Bathurst High has been trying to get the better of their rivals to the west during recent times in the schools competition and although the game ended as a draw it still felt like a win for the team, as evidenced by jubilant scenes among the squad.

An emotional Bathurst High School principal Ken Barwick said that it's a result that means so much to the team and the rest of the school community.

"It was sensational. For years they've been the underdogs in this game," he said.

"They've been trying so hard. They've been working together and training so hard. There's a lot of young kids in here, along with three year 12s in this group.

"They said they were going to do it, and I'm not sure anyone believed it, but they were up by four points at half-time playing great possession netball.

"Orange will be disappointed because they came here as A grade champions in their own network, but they came up against a Bathurst side who wanted to win.

"Our girls have come away with a 50-50 point split, which is amazing."

Bathurst could sense they were on the cusp of history after a strong start took them to a 21-17 lead at half-time.

However, Orange produced their best period of netball in the third quarter and rallied down the stretch to take a 31-30 lead into the last term.

The pressure on both teams showed in the fourth quarter.

Missed shots and turnovers began to mount as the defence from each side continued to operate at a high level.

Orange found themselves on the brink of victory with a 41-40 lead inside the last 20 seconds but a well placed long ball into the goal circle set up the tying shot for Bathurst.

The misdirected pass at the death from the visitors kept things level, and gave Bathurst a 107-93 lead over Orange midway through the opening day of the tie.

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