TRIDENT from Galmington Netball Club are the new champions of the Somerset League after two wins in three days but they were made to work hard for the title having to come from behind in both matches.

On Saturday they fell four goals behind in the early stages against Vivary and still trailed 10-8 after the first quarter.

They managed to level the scores at 21-21 at half-time and then, led by inspirational captain Alex Ireland at wing attack, they dominated the next period to open up a 38-27 lead.

Although Vivary pressed at the start of the final quarter, Trident pulled away to win 57-41.

On Monday they met Galmington clubmates Hovelands, who were the only team who could now mathematically catch Trident, and a close first quarter saw Trident hold a slender 10-9 lead.

Hovelands, with Becky Feetenby and Steph Andrews combining excellently then took a 22-17 half-time lead which they extended to 39-27 in the third quarter as Trident struggled to cope with the superb shooting of Jade Clarke.

However, positional changes for Trident resulted in a complete turnaround as the shooting partnership of Vic Beach and Nicky Ferguson allowed Trident to dominate the last quarter to win a magnificent match 50-45.

On Saturday Hovelands enjoyed a comfortable win over Bridgwater's Neptune.

Hovelands, for whom Sharon Chester was again excellent in defence, controlled the first half to build a 30-14 lead. Although Neptune responded well the speed and accurate shooting of Lucy Sizer ensured that Hovelands were never seriously challenged as they completed a 65-41 victory.

In Division One Claremont made a strong start against Tone, and, with Lisa Manley shooting superbly, they opened up a 15-5 lead in the first quarter.

As hard as Tone tried to find a way back into the match, the early damage had been done and, with Jo James dominant in defence, Claremont were victors by 44 goals to 26.

In the same division, Parkfield ended a run of poor results with a narrow win over Venus of Bridgwater. It was a close contest throughout with Parkfield just a single goal behind after the first quarter.

Although Venus increased their lead to 25-21 at half-time Parkfield reduced the deficit to one goal again going into the last period.

In a tense finish, Parkfield, for whom both Kate Northcott and Amy Evens had fine matches, took the lead and held on for a well-deserved 39-37 victory.