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On the weekend of March 12/13, Wellington’s U16 and U19 netball squads travelled to Oundle to compete in the National Schools Finals. Both teams had qualified via county and regional rounds, and were up against the top 18 schools from across the country.
The U16 competition started early on Saturday morning with the squad facing eight schools in their pool group. The team got their early nerves out of the way with a 14-9 win against the strong Putney High School, backed up with a tight 12-11 victory over Oakham. The team played some exhilarating netball across the morning, with Jazmine S and Saskia L demonstrating creative and ruthless attacking during Wellington’s centre pass possession. The defensive unit were equally successful, restricting opponents, The King’s School and Whitburn Academy to just five and six goals respectively. The team finished unbeaten winners of their group and faced Guildford High School in their semi-final. Guildford broke the Wellington centre pass early, and took a four-goal lead in the first half of the game. The team gave it their all after an intense day of netball, but despite their best efforts narrowly lost out 12-10. The U16s finished 4th on the day, and to place so highly in the country was a reward for the squad’s individual and group efforts across the past six months.
The U19 tournament was held on the Sunday, following the same format as the U16 competition. Again, to have made it to this stage was an impressive achievement, and the squad was excited at the opportunity to play in a national competition. The team made a slow start to their first match against Barking Abbey, and despite a rallying second half lost narrowly 12-9. The group did well to regroup, winning their next match against Oakham 13-9, with Scarlett C and Charlie H-M combining effectively in the defensive circle. The girls showed grit after losing members of the squad to minor injuries, playing out a thrilling 9-all draw against Greenhead College and beating Yarn 10-5. However, having lost five of their group games the team eventually finished 13th overall. To have finished within the top 13 schools nationally at this age group was an incredible achievement.
Overall both days provided a rewarding experience for all girls involved, and would not have been possible without the support of the staff, parents and wider College community; we are already looking forward to the first qualifiers for National Schools 2023!
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