Posted on: March 26th 2015 | Category:
On a bright and breezy Friday morning earlier this month, the Norfolk House Under 11 Netball Squad excitedly boarded the minibus in preparation for our trip to Redbridge to attend the annual ISA U11 Netball Tournament. The girls had been talking about and preparing for the event for several weeks and they couldn’t wait to finally arrive and head out on court and play their first match.
Our team had been placed in Pool A which meant they had seven matches lined up over the course of the day and would be facing girls from Avon House, Howe Green, Northwood College, Park School, St James, The Swaminarayan School and Gatehouse School, who were kindly hosting the whole event. So at ten o’clock, with a blast from the horn, the first matches began and the Norfolk House team sprang into action. Our centre court players, Charlotte Chan, Anna Herbert and Grace Ferrari-Callaghan worked hard and tried valiantly to pass the ball down to our shooters, Olivia Forrest and Maria Sophocli, as often as they could but we were faced with some challenging defenders on the opposing teams. Our defenders, Maria Redko, Eloise Fell-Williams, Beth Brocklesby and Tilika Murray-Patel also played really well, attempting to mark and hamper the movements of some very fast and well-rehearsed attacking players. Unfortunately, the girls’ efforts we were not rewarded with any wins in our first run of matches but with every new game you could see that the team was becoming stronger and more cohesive.
After a short break, the girls returned for another run of four matches and we were very impressed with their stamina and increasingly tactical game play. The centre court players continued to run faster, jump higher and chase every ball and there was some excellent attacking and defensive play from everyone involved. Even when some of the girls experienced minor injuries such as bumps and grazes, they were adamant that they were going to stay on court and play their part in the match. They approached every new game with enthusiasm and a determination to succeed and they played to the best of their ability, even when faced with some finely tuned game play and particularly tall and imposing opponents! It was lovely that both Mrs Chan and Mr Forrest stayed with us for the duration of the tournament and alongside Mr Ashton, their continued support and coaching really benefitted the team and spurred the girls on.
So as the tournament came to a close, we were really proud of the efforts of the team and their positive outlook and sportsmanlike conduct were unwavering despite experiencing some tough games. It really was fitting that the girls won their final two matches, beating Swaminarayan 5-0 and Maple Walk 2-1, earning themselves a well-deserved 13th place position in the tournament. All of the girls should be commended for their dedication and sustained efforts and we look forward with anticipation to the autumn term when the girls can continue to refine their skills and pit them against some new opponents.
Mrs Osborne