S

I

S

N

A

 

s

u

c

c

e

s

s

 

s

t

o

r

i

e

s

 

Last week, Hurst hosted the annual SISNA competition and it was clear that all of our squads were looking forward to another full day of netball after their excellent results at the nationals.

U18s

The first team were fired up for another tournament, especially on home soil. SISNA is always a great event and with a round robin format, the squad needed endurance and determination. The girls had nine games to get through and started the day perfectly with two very strong wins against Roedean and Bede’s. Eastbourne and Brighton College, as expected were games three and four and would be crunch matches. We beat Eastbourne comfortably and as the game against Brighton was a draw, we could not afford to draw – or lose – another game. Mayfield and Ardingly followed back-to-back, both crucial games which needed fresh legs and versatile players. The girls worked in perfect unison to win both as well as the next game against Worth. With news that our next opponents Seaford had beaten Brighton, the tournament became even more interesting. Our girls dominated the second half against Seaford with their great timing and movement, which was also the case in their final victory against Lancing, as they deservedly took the title.

U16s

What a day for the U16A netballers! The girls took an early lead in their games against Lancing and Mayfield which filled them with confidence ahead of playing Eastbourne. A goal-to-goal thriller against Eastbourne ensued, and although the girls were down 5-4 at half time, with great determination they pulled it back to win 8-7 on the final whistle. This was followed by two further wins over Burgess Hill and Bede’s, and they felt ready to take on Brighton College. The girls played an exceptional game and despite being one goal down at half time, did not give up. They demonstrated outstanding, patient and careful netball as they stormed ahead by two goals however, Brighton managed to pull it back as the game ended with a 9-9 draw. The girls then claimed victories over Roedean, Worth and Ardingly to conclude their day. In winning eight games and drawing one, it came down to goal average, and the girls narrowly missed out on taking first place.

U15s

The U15s were without their captain and strong circle defender, however this did not stop the girls from playing some brilliant netball. They each played for more than two hours and showed great fitness and strength throughout. The U15s won 10 out of their 11 games with some fantastic scores against the likes of Eastbourne, Seaford, Burgess Hill and Ardingly. However, as in previous years, it all came down to the crucial game against Brighton College, who seem to be our achilles heel this term and the girls knew it was going to be tough to get a win. Our team played with control and showed their athleticism but narrowly lost to the national finalists in the dying minutes of the game. An exhausting but thrilling afternoon of netball with the girls scoring over 150 goals – a sterling effort!

 U14s

The U14s had a challenging 10 matches ahead of them, therefore it was essential they kept errors to a minimum and remained focussed. During the last few weeks of training, they had been working hard on strengthening their defence throughout the court. Their efforts clearly paid off since the team let in just 27 goals throughout the tournament and our shooters scored a total of 133 goals. The toughest match of the day was against Brighton College. The girls demonstrated grit and resilience, continually turning over the ball as Brighton struggled to get into their stride and failed to achieve over 50% of our score, which meant they did not get a point. There was a blip against Burgess Hill but they managed to hold on for the win. The whole team displayed skilful and faultless netball to defend the title for a third year in a row.