Netball takes centre stage in busy week of sport

U11 Mixed Foundation Netball event

This week, all Year Six girls travelled down to KSA for a combined Foundation netball event. It is always such a wonderful opportunity to combine with KSA and for the girls to strengthen the bonds that they can take forward to “Big King’s” in September next year. We had the privilege of the expert umpiring and coaching of Jess Haynes, who is a current player for Severn Stars and the coach of Saturday’s KSW Superball Team. All the girls had a very enjoyable afternoon and gained valuable experience.

On Wednesday, the U11 team travelled to Winterfold for their final competitive netball match of the season, and indeed their final netball match for King’s Hawford. This group of girls have made such huge progress with their netball this term and on Wednesday both teams came home victorious.

The B Team, led by Chloe as Captain, played a very competitive game that was fairly even until the half-time break. Ava H and Sienna managed to put in several goals in the second half to put a positive spin on the game and finish with a win. There was excellent marking and defending by Darcy B and Annabel J, with Bella and Ava W contributing across the whole court. This was a fantastic result!

Player of the Match as nominated by the opposition was Ava H.

The A Team were dominant from the first whistle, with Jetta and Holly putting nine goals away in the first session. Harriet and Hattie were relentless in attack as ever, with Robyn and Annabel keeping tight in defence. At the half-time break we abandoned our normal rotation in order to change things up quite dramatically. Despite making numerous changes, the girls remained on top of the game throughout and came away with a resounding win. Having not had to open the first-aid kit for the entire season, we unfortunately had a flurry of injuries in the last two minutes of the game. Sienna twisted her ankle whilst jumping for an interception, and we had a queue of blood replacements for Harriet and Jetta, who hit the deck in the final part of the game. The girls should be very proud of their performance on Wednesday; it was a suitable culmination of their hard work throughout the season and a pleasure to watch.

U8 & U9 House Netball Matches

After a busy few days of performing in the production, on Thursday afternoon the Years Three and Four girls braved the cool temperatures to play their House Netball matches. The teams, captained by Izzy W (Bredon), Adelyn K (Clent), Daisy E (Malvern), and Charlotte P and Robyn C (Kinver), all organised their own teams, running a rotation format, following the Bee Ball rules. The team captains, chosen in advance by the Games staff, were in charge of ensuring every House member knew where they were meant to be and where to stand on court.

Due to the high number of girls in Years 3 Three and Four, not all children could be on court for every half. When not on court, they took part in a shooting game umpired by Miss Odam which also earned them points for their House: the more they scored, the more points they earned. On court, the girls played five minute halves for each game against the other Houses. Each House won at least one game against their opposition, and there was a fantastic display of technique on show. Persie and Sophia found space on court well for Kinver, and Zara and Elise made fantastic interceptions, turning over the ball for Malvern on many occasions. Adelyn and Simi used the width of the court to their advantage, whilst for Bredon, Elise M and Chaya linked nicely to get the ball into the attacking circle, and Valerie and Amelie worked hard in centre court to make numerous interceptions, turning the ball over for their team to gain possession.

After each game, the Houses awarded a Player of the Match to their opposition. Well done to the following, who were highlighted by their peers: Florrie W, Maysie L, Eleanor N, Adelyn K, Persie D, Annie W, Valerie M, Zara O, Robyn C and Daisy E. A special mention must go to Eleanor and Annie, who were named as Player of the Match in two out of three games for their House.

Mrs Butt and Miss Lake were extremely impressed with the girls’ attitudes. The Year Fours showed good leadership and teamwork, communicating and supporting their Year Three counterparts very well. If this season and the House matches in particular are anything to go by, there is certainly a lot to look forward to in the future in terms of netball for these girls. Well done, everyone.