U11 Netball Team Reaches Rugby Final

Bablake Junior School came runners-up in the Rugby School Netball Prep Tournament after a fantastic day of Netball.

Ten Year 6 girls, alongside coaches Mrs Reed and Miss Hingley, headed to Rugby School for a morning of Netball coaching followed by a tournament in the afternoon.

In the morning the girls were split into 8 different groups to take part in drills led by coaches from various netball backgrounds - including current and ex Superleague players and the current Wasps U19 coach (much to Emily's delight as she managed to get a signature to add to her collection!).

Enjoying playing netball in the sun (a rare occasion!), the girls showed off their skills and had an enjoyable morning which warmed them up nicely for the afternoon tournament.

After lunch, the girls were eager to get on the courts and start their match preparation. After taking on lots of water to stay hydrated, the girls completed their warm-up, led by tournament captain Libby S, and were ready for the first match in their group.

The girls got off to an excellent start winning their first two matches, 13-0 and 7-0 respectively, with impressive shooting from Libby S and Libby H and lovely interceptions from Vanessa. Their third match, against Milton Keynes, proved more of a challenge and the girls were up by the slightest of margins until in the last two minutes they turned over two centre passes, helped by the determination shown by Beth and Shannon, to win 7-4. With legs tiring and going into their third match in a row, the girls came up against the willowy and 'taller than a Senior School team', Berkhamsted School. Having checked out the opposition during our rest period the girls were ready for the challenge. Tiffany, our fantastic GK, took on the coaches advice and made things difficult for the opposition with interception after interception, however, with tired arms and legs the girls struggled to get the ball down court and a very good Berkhamsted team picked up on our errors to take home a 6-0 win. 

Having won 3/4 matches in the group stage we were through to the semi-finals. The coaches decided to bring on fresh legs with Charlotte and Connie coming on at GD and C. The girls fought hard during the match, throwing themselves into every interception and putting in 110%, which led them to a 3-3 draw and saw them head into extra time. They got off to a good start, scoring a goal in the first minute, with time ticking and Tiffany guarding the goal brilliantly, the girls managed to hold onto the lead to win 1-0, taking us through to the final!

Meeting us in the final were the unbeaten team of Berkhamsted. Having already lost 6-0 to the same team we knew it was going to be a tough match, the girls went out fighting and came away as tournament runners-up after a very close final, which finished 3-1 to Berkhamsted. 

The afternoon finished with hot dogs and an awards presentation. The girls collected their silver medals and Imogen was chosen as the BJS player of the tournament by coaches and umpires from Rugby School. 

Huge congratulations to the girls for reaching the final and for being a credit to the Junior School. A big thank you also to Rugby School for hosting us and parents for coming to support.