Wednesday 22nd January
Bryanston U11A Netball Tournament
On a very chilly Wednesday morning Mrs Dover and Mrs Page travelled down to Dorset for the annual Bryanston Netball Tournament. Despite the weather, the girls were all excited and raring to go, with high hopes for a successful day of netball. Amesbury previously won the U11 Tournament three years in a row, giving our current girls the push they needed to win the silverware.
The Under 11 girls were based on the River Courts, which was a lovely place for us to make our base. After a warm up and some tactical talk, the girls stepped onto the court for their first game against Sherborne Prep. The girls played their socks off and despite the match being a tough one to start the tournament with, we soon found our flow. The passing was slick and controlled and the girls calmly moved the ball into attack, evading their opponent’s. The final whistle blew not a moment too soon giving us a narrow but much needed first win (1-0). The second match saw us up against Farleigh, which was always going to be a tough game. Nonetheless, the girls rose to the challenge. We were soon trailing after some very smooth play from Farleigh, and before long the score was 0-4; this was not looking positive. However, thanks to some great defending from Isobel K, Chloe and Francesca we soon turned things around and started to make a comeback. Claudia worked well at GK to intercept incoming balls and marked her player effectively. Flo was on fine form at Centre and controlled the mid-court well as she moved the ball successfully into attack, while Tamzi also assisted beautifully at WA. Ysabel and Emily also shot incredibly well, scoring 3 goals in quick succession. With the score at 3-4, Farleigh were looking ruffled. despite or valiant efforts, we couldn’t quite pop in that final goal to equalise, but this was an outstanding match for us. As the pooled matches progressed, Amesbury continued to play some lovely netball, gaining some impressive wins. All of the girls played to their best and did Amesbury proud. The girls played cohesively and supported each other superbly, demonstrating what a solid team they are.
TEAM
SCORE
Amesbury v Farleigh
Lost 3-4
Amesbury v Durlston Court
Lost 0-1
Amesbury v FSM
Won 5-2
Amesbury v Hanford
Won 5-2
Amesbury v Sherborne Prep
Won 1-0
Amesbury v Thorngrove
Won 3-2
Semi-Final Bowl: Amesbury v Taunton Prep (Lost 2-7)
After their fantastic performance, the girls finished their pool in third place, which was really deserving.
The squad made their way to the marquee for some warming soup and delicious donuts, giving them some much needed energy prior to their semi-final match in the Bowl Competition (3rd placed schools). This match saw us play against Taunton Prep, who we had already heard were a very impressive team to watch. Despite all of our efforts, the girls couldn’t really find their feet in this game. Taunton dominated from the outset and took an early lead. We tried hard to stick with our players, but couldn’t quite keep up with Taunton’s speed and movement around the court. The game finished as a much deserved win for Taunton (2-7). Despite their final loss, the girls should feel proud of their commitment and focus throughout the afternoon; they played superbly and did Amesbury proud.
Well done to you all and also to the supporters who braved the cold all afternoon.
Mrs Lauren Dover
