East Regional Schools Finals
Saturday 30th January saw the Regional Rounds of School Competitions for U14, U16 and U19 taking place all over the Country. The Netball East rounds, for schools from Beds, Cambs, Essex, Herts,
After a bitterly cold night and a heavy frost, the day got off to a chilly start, but as soon as the netball started, things immediately warmed up. The Regional Schools competitions always deliver a great spectacle, and the 2010 East event was no exception. On top of this, the event also offers an opportunity for a number of other things including Talent spotting and Umpire Mentoring.
Below we hear from Chris Laundy, the East Regional Head Scout, Kirsty Laws and Jackie Stigwood, two Umpires working their way up the Officiating ladder, Abi Naughter, Head of PE at Broxbourne School, Herts (winners of the U14 rounds), Jess Ferguson and Katy Nicholson of Great Baddow School (Winners of the U16 rounds) and Maria Wiseman, Head of PE at Harlington School, Beds (winners of the U19 rounds).
“The Regional round of the Schools' Tournament is the first opportunity for scouting, selecting girls for inclusion in the
“At U14, more girls were scouted as they are often new into the system and we look for 'raw' talent here. Many u16 who are scouted are already in the Talent system, and any u19's scouted are usually exceptional as most talented athletes of this age group are already on the Talent ladder. Those players who have been identified will receive an invitation letter to Pre-screening in their relevant Counties, via their school netball teacher.
“Although it was a 'freezing' cold day all the scouts enjoyed the day and look forward to seeing the players progress up the Talent ladder.”
Chris Laundy, East Regional Head Scout
"I am a C Award umpire going for my B award and was delighted to be selected to umpire at the Regional Schools Tournament on Saturday 30th January. After I'd got over the initial shock of being selected to umpire (as there was a list of 50 umpires to choose from, and only 30 could go!) I was really looking forward to the day.
“After waking up very early to be greeted by a covering of snow, and temperatures of below freezing, I was worried that the tournament would get postponed, but after arriving in a sunny Essex, it was all systems go! I umpired a total of 9 matches (14 min games) and the standard of netball played was excellent in all age groups. There were Umpire Mentors there to observe us and offer advice, which I found really useful.
“All in all it was a brilliant day (although very cold!) and I would love to be involved next year as it was valuable experience towards me achieving my B Award."
Kirsty Lawes
“I found it a great honour to be invited to umpire at this tournament but as I didn’t know what to expect, I began to feel a bit apprehensive as the tournament date grew closer.
“It was a very cold and icy Saturday morning when we set off. I thought the tournament might be called off because of the conditions, but it was very well organised and ran to time despite starting 15 minutes late, with many teams stuck in traffic accidents.
“The standard of the netball was good – some teams were very good and some were a little unsure, I suppose it was nerves kicking in!!! The atmosphere in the umpires and officials room was very positive and upbeat. Everyone was so friendly and encouraging.
“My
“I would like to congratulate the Tournament Organiser for an excellent tournament and the players for making our job quite pleasant!! I thoroughly enjoyed the day and I hope to be invited again next year.”
Jackie Stigwood
“The girls at Broxbourne have year netball practice once a week, which is open to anyone in the school to participate - they also have regular year fixtures, which everyone is involved in. In July of each year girls are selected to be part of either the U14 (yr 8 and 9), U16 (year 10 and 11) or U19 (year 12 and 13) national teams, and are invited to train on a Friday for 2 hours after school. There are normally a maximum of 12 girls in each squad and they have regular national squad matches. The girls have been training in these squads since September of this school year.
“On the morning of the East Regional Schools Tournament the girls felt excited but nervous, with a great team spirit running through them. This team spirit demonstrated by the girls' was the best part of the day for me. There were no superstars in the team, all girls had a role to play and they encouraged each other whether they were on the court or on the sidelines. They produced a fantastic level of netball and all their hard work and pactice came together – it was fantastic!!
“We are now really looking forward to the national finals in
“As a school we feel extremely lucky to coach such lovely girls, they are a real credit to the school. It is great to see the level of success that they achieved on Saturday and we now have the opportunity to work with them for longer in preparation for the finals.”
Abi Naugher
, Head of PE
"The girls have trained 3 times a week during year 7-9 and twice a week in Year 10 and 11. On top of this the girls have all joined clubs outside of school and now play every week. Leading up to the competition we had training sessions working on shorter matches and played matches against competitive schools to give us game play.
"On the morning of the competition, the girls were understandably nervous. They had been here for the last two years and both years and narrowly missed out on the final so they knew what to expect. The girls all made their seperate ways to Hassenbrook and when the staff arrived at just before 9am , the girls were already set up in a warm spot in the sports hall.
"The girls gave a real team effort throughout the day and all members of the squad played.
Jess Ferguson, Head of PE Faculty
Katie Nicholson, Coach
“Our U19 team at
“On the morning of the event the girls were slightly nervous but were mostly looking forward to a day of netball. During the team talk the girls new they had to focus but always kept in their back of their minds that they should try to enjoy the day as much as possible. As the day went on the girls started to believe more in their ability and the standard of netball improved.
“For me, and I know from speaking to the girls, the most enjoyable part of the day was the standard of play and how they enjoyed the challenge in comparison to the level they play at usually in a school team.
“As a school we are most looking forward to another day of exceptional netball at the National Finals in
Maria Wiseman,
