U15 team showcase maturity and determination at Regional netball tournament

Having won the County U16 tournament last term our U15s travelled to Walsall to represent Shropshire at the Regional tournament.  

Our first match was against a very strong Bromsgrove side who eventually finished runners-up in the tournament. We started well but a few stray passes let us down. That coupled with their physical strength and maturity gave Bromsgrove a deserved win.  

However, the next match against Wolverhampton Grammar was a much-improved performance by the girls; at half-time they found themselves in the lead. Unfortunately, despite battling hard, we lost by one goal in the final seconds of the game. Despite the loss, the girls were in good spirits and realised they could put up a strong performance.  

The following game against Newcastle-u-Lyme saw some of our better play. Defensively, Chaira C (MSH, IV) and Hettie P (QEH, IV) were working superbly as a team, making several turnovers and giving us the lead going into halftime. This time we extended our lead, and the girls were delighted at their first win of the day.

Our penultimate match was against the eventual winners of the tournament so we knew the game would be tough.  Despite losing, this was possibly their best netball of the day.  We had found our rhythm and again, the defensive duo were making it very difficult for the Bablake shooters.

In addition, Willa B (MSH, IV), Manon H (G, IV), and Georgina C (QEH, IV) were playing with maturity and scoring goals under a lot of pressure from the opposition.  We put in an excellent performance against Hereford Cathedral in the final match.  This match was won largely by our centre court players (Emilia G (MSH, IV), Cecelia W (QEH, IV) and Daisy P (M, IV)) who were impressive in both defence and attack. It wasn't an easy game, but we eventually pulled away to a 12-9 win.  

All of the girls deserve praise for their maturity on and off court.  They played with determination and adapted well to several positional changes that had to be made through injury.  However, particular mention should go to Chaira and Hettie for their impressive defensive partnership.

Overall, it was a tough but enjoyable experience for our U15 team.  They were competing against the best U16s in the region and contested every game.  Being a year younger than the opposition put us at a disadvantage physically but we are looking forward to hopefully returning next year and competing as U16s.  

Sophie Jones

Netball Coach