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On Saturday, three teams travelled to Farnborough to attend the regional rounds of the National Schools Netball Competition. Although the weather conditions were on side, it was clear that all three teams had a long, competitive day ahead as it was essential they placed in the top two out of the 14 schools in order to qualify for the National Finals.

U14s

After a positive and focussed warm up, the U14As were ready for the challenge ahead. They performed with high energy and great determination, pushing for every goal, in the six games they played, and narrowly missed out on securing top place in the group stages by just one goal to Farnborough Hill. The team prepared well for their semi-final against the winners of group one, St Swithun’s. With great confidence they swiftly secured victory by five clear goals, and in so doing qualified for the National Finals in March, before playing their final game.

U16s

The U16A squad also played six initial games in the group stages. In their first, and probably toughest, game against The Abbey, the girls had a very slow start and were two goals down at half time. After a motivating team talk, they managed to pull back the two goals to secure a 7-7 draw. After a difficult first game, it was clear the girls had warmed up and came into their own during their next match against St Helen & St Katherine winning 12-2. Next, they faced King Edwards Southampton who proved to be a challenge, although our shooters were very accurate to ensure a 10-8 win in the final minutes. During the next two games against Aylesbury High and Cowes, our defence was unstoppable, making frequent turnovers, to secure 19-1 and 22-3 victories respectively. After five games, the Hurst team had already made the semi-finals alongside their next opponents, Wycombe Abbey, and therefore this was a game to see who could come out on top. Our girls played a very skilful game and fought hard for every ball to take a 12-4 win.

Similarly, in the other group, our Sussex rivals and semi-final opponents, Brighton College also had an excellent day. Our girls worked incredibly hard to keep possession of the ball and turn over centre passes, however Brighton had the edge to take the win 13-8. Although our girls were disappointed, they went on to take third place overall by overcoming Wycombe Abbey.

1^st VII

After the heartache of last year and their slick performance at the county rounds back in October, the 1^st VII were eager to make their mark in the regional final. Having finished third in 2018, the girls were hungrier than ever to secure the first-place spot, especially the Upper Sixth members in their final year. With a tough draw, the first game is often key to a tournament campaign, since it sets the momentum of the day. The team produced an excellent performance against Ranelagh, who had some strong club players, to take the win 12-9. After a brilliant start, the girls were eager for more success and took confident wins in their next five matches to finish top of their group. Next up was the final against Barton Peveril. The whole team worked together in perfect unison, playing disciplined and consistent netball throughout to claim victory 14-4 and realise their dream of becoming regional champions.