Chester and District U15 Netball Tournament

Written by Mr Taylor, Netball Coach

This was a Round Robin Competition with seven other schools, a great opportunity for the teams to play a match with all of the teams in the competition.

King’s v Queen’s. On a cold windy afternoon, the squad got off to a strong start against local rivals Queens. With the defence and centre court dominating most of the play, the feeds into the circle for Corinna and Honey were fast, direct and accurate. King’s were scoring on every visit to the circle, having established their range, the shooters were scoring freely, and drew out a 5-goal lead. Steady play throughout the court, some fantastic turnovers saw the squad end with a win 8-3.

King’s v Catholic High. As the wind picked up, King’s showed composure and patience, as handling mistakes from both sides made this a tougher match. King’s settled the quickest and found their rhythm. The scoring began, and King’s scored three quick goals without return. Catholic High returned with a score of their own, which was answered by King’s. King’s took the win 5 – 1.

King’s v Abbey Gate. Right from the first centre pass King’s showed their dominance. Strong through court play saw King’s shooters very busy, scoring at will. Some excellent defensive play by Izzy Whittlestone (4GRO) and Elinor Fotheringham (4LES) kept Abbey Gate contained. Nithikka Senthil Kumar (4DUT) was having an amazing tournament, dynamic and driven she completed interception after interception. This allowed King’s to pull away and take the game 11 – 3.

King’s v Blacon. Following their strong performance against Abbey Gate, King’s continued in the same manner. Nithikka was on fire! Gaining the ball from the first centre pass and delivering a pass straight to the circle for Honey Holmes (4DUT) to score. This was a continuing theme, and King’s were scoring freely. Blacon tried to rally, however, King’s upped the pressure and ran out eventual winners 9 – 2.

King’s v Upton. Against a strong Upton squad, a tense mid-court battle ensued. Both teams making errors then regaining possession. Scoring was at a premium, and accuracy was crucial. King’s managed to get their heads in front, and defended strongly. Upton came back and levelled the score 4 – 4. King’s applied the pressure; Lydia Bills (4GLA) at Wing Attack was a whirlwind. King’s scored three goals from interceptions to end the game 7 – 4 winners.

King’s v Bishop Heber. This was to be the match for 1st place. Both teams playing strong progressive netball. Competitive from the off, both centre court units were battling for control. Scoring went goal for goal as both defences worked hard to try and dominate the attackers. Heber managed to get their nose in front 6 – 5, but King’s worked tirelessly to get the ball back. An interception by Nithikka, saw the ball passed into the Heber circle. The shot was missed, and Heber screamed the ball downcourt into King’s goal area. The shot was missed, but a penalty shot given and then scored! Heber took the win 7-5.

A fantastic tournament all round. King’s played some beautiful netball, and were complimented by the oppositions coaching staff on their skill and politeness.

Well done, girls! A fantastic team effort resulting in second place. A special mention goes to Nithikka for her outstanding performance throughout the tournament and was awarded the Coaches Player of the Tournament award.