SATURDAY’S Women’s Premier League action featured Cross Conference action for the first time in the new-look competition and it saw wins for the UWA City Beach Rangers, Melville Marlins and Applecross across HBF Stadium and Bicton Pool.

The opening three rounds of the 2017-18 season saw the teams within the respective Fremantle and UWA Conference play one another leading into the Cross Conference match ups in Round on Saturday.

The contests saw Rangers defeat Dolphins 4-2 at HBF Stadium while at Bicton Pool, the Melville Marlins beat Triton 9-5 and Applecross prevailed 12-8 over the UWA City Beach Blues.

The results mean that Applecross remains leading the Fremantle Conference with three wins and a draw from four games this season. The Melville Marlins remain undefeated too with two wins and two draws.

North Coast Phoenix had the and have one win, one draw and a loss while Dolphins remains winless following four matches.

Triton remains the leader of the UWA Conference despite their first loss of the season on Saturday. The UWA City Beach Blues now have a win and two losses while Rangers recorded their first victory of the 2017-18 campaign.

Following the four rounds, Erin Redbond from the Melville Marlins remains the Women’s Premier League leading scorer with 11 goals. Sarah Leavy has 10 goals from Applecross, Chloe Nella from the Marlins nine, Madi Rigo from Rangers eight and Kelly Parks of Applecross eight.

Zoe Stenhouse (North Coast Phoenix), Zoe Arancini (Marlins), Lara Zimmerman (Applecross) and Sofia Chaves (Applecross) have all scored seven goals apiece for the season.

The Cross Conference action started on Saturday at Bicton Pool with the Melville Marlins playing Triton. It was the Marlins who started strongly with the game’s opening three goals from Madeleine Quinn, Pia Rogers and Chloe Nella.

Triton did get on the board just before half-time courtesy of Crosby Brandis but Melville again pulled away to start the second half with goals to Olivia Simes and Zoe Arancini to lead 5-2.

But it was game on by three quarter-time thanks to Triton goals from Tayla Barbas, Claire Whitaker and Millie Martino to cut Melville’s lead to 6-5.

The Marlins responded, though, and scored the only three goals of the last quarter to win 9-5.

Chloe Nella finished with three goals for Melville and Erin Redbond two. It was all single scorers for Triton.

Nella received the three votes, Simes two and Triton goalkeeper Carina Harache one.

The second Women’s Premier League up at Bicton Pool pitted the unbeaten Applecross up against the UWA City Beach Blues. It was actually the visitors who started impressively with UWA leading 2-1 after five minutes with goals to Audrey Poor and Glenda Morgan.

A goal with eight seconds on the clock for Applecross to Sarah Leavy tied scores at quarter-time before the home team went ahead to start the second quarter when Kelly Parks goaled.

But the Blues had come to play and again levelled scores courtesy of Pippa Pedley before Applecross went to half-time leading 4-3 with a late penalty converted from Kate Abbey-Wardale.

The game was up for grabs as they changed ends but Applecross put their foot down to open the second half with five goals in six minutes thanks to Sofia Chaves, Nina Tomas, Gaby French, Leavy and Lara Zimmerman to lead 9-3.

It was then 11-4 by early in the fourth quarter and even though UWA City Beach finished strongly with four of the game’s last five goals, it was Applecross who prevailed 12-8.

Sarah Leavy finished with four goals for Applecross and Kate Abbey-Wardale three. Pippa Pedley and Glenda Morgan scored three times each for UWA City Beach.

Abbey-Wardale received the three votes for the game, Morgan two and Kelly Parks one.

Meanwhile at HBF Stadium, the UWA City Beach Rangers took on Dolphins with both teams searching for their first wins of the 2017-18 season.

Dolphins started promisingly with the only goal of the first quarter from Sinead Cockcroft. Rangers then answered with the only goal of the second period through Neve Annett.

Rangers then pulled ahead with two goals in the third period to Madi Rigo before ending up winning 4-2.

Madi Rigo scored three of the four goals for Rangers with Nicole Wallace the other scorer for Dolphins.

Dolphins ‘keeper Lillian Hedges received three votes, Rigo two and Neve Annett two.

PREMIER LEAGUE 2017-18 WOMEN’S COMPETITION RESULTS

ROUND 4 – Saturday November 4
Cross Conference
Rangers 4 defeated Dolphins 2
Melville Marlins 9 defeated Triton 5
Applecross 12 defeated UWA City Beach Blues 8