On Wednesday 20th March, both our Inter and Senior Netball Teams played in the Netball NI Bowl Finals at Lisburn Racquets Club.
What an amazing achievement for both of these teams to have got to this day; there was a lot of hard work and effort in training and during their matches in the lead up to this.
The Inters played first against a very sharp St. Josephs, Donaghmore.
Unfortunately, this team were well-versed at playing at this level, so they began hard and fast. Our girls were rattled and weren’t able to get a solid hold on the game during this quarter.
With a bit of a re-shuffle in the 2nd Quarter, the girls settled much better. Despite the lovely plays and passes into the circle, these didn’t result in goals. This was frustrating for the shooters who began to feel the pressure a little.
The third quarter saw a more settled team, yet still, the goals evaded the girls. It became hard to keep discipline when it was felt that umpiring calls were going against them.
The final quarter saw the girls creating opportunities and scoring from these too. Unfortunately, the opposition did exactly the same. Their resilience was solid right to the end.
In all – it was an excellent display of netball from both sides. The score truly was not an accurate reflection of the game. The girls should be proud to have reached this level. Worthy runners-up!
Next up were the Seniors against Cookstown High School. Well – what a match! The two teams were both strong and played with amazing stamina and discipline. The accuracy and fluidity of their passes was super to see.
Our shooters found it tough in the circle, as they were so well defended. It took a little time for them to work out how to get the ball and take a shot. When they did, it was super to watch.
At the opposite end, our defense were really tested with the height of the Cookstown shooters. Despite this, our GK and GD worked really well together and kept the scoring opportunities down.
The scores were within one or two points for the first 3 quarters making it totally riveting to watch the two very well-matched teams.
The final quarter saw the Cookstown girls push hard. They wanted the win and just had the upper hand in this quarter to ensure they got it.
Final score – 18-13 to Cookstown. An excellent Final.