On Thursday 15th December, 6 schools in the Fermanagh & Tyrone area came together to play their annual Blitz at the Lakeland Forum.
It was a non-stop day of Netball and umpiring. We played a Round Robin tournament where every team played each other, and a running total was kept. This meant that the girls got to play 5 matches which is tough going.
The first game was against St Fancheas, the girls took a while to settle into a rhythm (not having played a competitive match in a while). Once they did, they took charge of the game and won it quite happily.
We then played Mount Lourdes. This was a tough match from the outset. It was well-played by both teams with neither having the edge over the other. A goal was scored at one end and was quickly equalled at the other. We were leading by one goal and the time was ticking down – Mount Lourdes scored with 20 seconds to go and so levelled the game. A draw- a fitting end to the match.
Our 3rd match was against Devenish College. The girls were on a high from their previous match and went into this thinking it would be easy. It was anything but! Devenish put up a superb battle – putting the girls on the back foot. It took some discipline for them to steady their heads and come out as victors in the end.
Match number 4 was against Fivemiletown college. The girls were much better settled and were ready for this team. It was no walk-over as Fivemiletown had pushed Mount Lourdes just as much as we had. Excellent play in defence and midfield led to the ball reaching the shooting circle on numerous occasions thus netting us this game.
With only one game left, we were looking to rack up as many goals as possible to improve our chances in the Tournament. The girls did their best, but sometimes, nerves can get the better of you and goals are missed as the drop of a hat. Despite this, the team beat Erne Integrated and secured themselves a place in the Top 2.
At the end of the Blitz, Both Mount Lourdes and ERGS secured 14 points, however, the goal difference was in Mount Lourdes favour, giving them the podium spot.
1st – MLE
2nd ERGS
3rd FMT
Congratulations to all the teams who played thus ensuring that Netball remains a strong fixture in our schools.
