Silver for the U11B’s at St. Michael’s Netball Tournament

It was a very wet but, thankfully, mild day at the St Michael’s U11B Tournament with ten teams attending. The girls were fired up and ready to give their all, especially as this was the first tournament some of them had been to. Beating Hilden Oaks 7-0 in the first game was a fantastic confidence booster for the girls. The next match against Granville was a tough one but they managed to win 4-3. Annabel Hunt and Natasha Croke, the shooters, were on fire, with clever, quick passing in the circle and accurate shots. In the following game against Russell House, they won 6-1 and the final game against Walthamstow Hall was a thrilling match, but SVPS were victorious winning 1-0. When the girls heard it was Derwent Lodge in the semi-final, their faces fell as they were beaten by them earlier in the season. However, the team rose to the occasion with quick passing between Nadia Hedge, Sharna Ambanpola, Sophie Browning and Claudia Bennett to finish after extra time with a 2-2 draw. Excellent defending from Isabel Blackie and Edie Newey saved the day. The team with the most goals throughout the group games would go through to the final and with a cracking 18 goals, we easily were the winners. The final was indoors, whereas we had been playing outside for the previous matches, and we played against Hazelwood. The girls once again performed magnificently, but Hazelwood were just too strong for them finishing 6-1. The girls proudly accepted their silver medals with beaming smiles. We are so proud of all of them; their behaviour, attitude and effort was second to none. Well done girls!

Team: Sharna Ambanpola (Cpt), Annabel Hunt, Natasha Croke, Nadia Hedge, Edie Newey,Isabel Blackie, Sophie Browning, Claudia Bennett.