Find out more
Friday 11 March 2022: This weekend Wellington College U16s and U19s netball teams will compete in the National Schools Netball Finals in Peterborough.
54 teams from more than 40 schools from across the country will come together for the competition which is taking place at Oundle School for the first time. Teams representing three age categories – U14s, U16s and U19s – will contest in 18 rounds of matches, with the U14s and U16s in action on Saturday and the U19s taking to the court on Sunday. The best four teams from each age group will then compete in semi-finals followed by finals and third place play-offs before the trophy presentations.
Around 1,500 schools take part in the National Schools Competition each year, with the top two sides from each age category from each region qualifying through the Regional Schools Finals to make it to Finals weekend.
To reach the Finals, Wellington College U16s and U19s played multiple schools from the local area, including Beaconsfield High, The Abbey and Bradfield.
During the Regional Finals the U14s played some excellent netball, and only lost out on a play-off place by 2 goals; an impressive finish for a team only formed in September. The U16s found themselves in a tough group, against strong netball schools such as St Swithun’s and Brighton. Nonetheless the girls demonstrated grit and determination to go on to win.
The U19s were in an equally challenging group, with both Worth and St Swithun’s considered favourites to qualify as regional champions. In two closely fought matches there was some excellent play from Scarlett C (U6), Yasmin V (L6) and Katy H (U6).
In the Finals on Saturday in the U16 category, Wellington College will take on defending champions Guildford High School. Meanwhile, the U19 competition is wide open as none of the defending champions are returning.
The British Army will be supporting and attending the Finals and will be engaging with the teams in attendance through fun activities such as the batak board to test hand eye co-ordination, a buzzwire to test steady hands, plus more.
Winners from each age group will be given the opportunity to attend a leadership day led by the British Army.
Under 19s captain Scarlett said:
‘It’s amazing to qualify for nationals and play amongst the best of the best. We all are so excited for Nationals and can’t wait! It’s an incredible achievement for Wellington to qualify two teams for Nationals and is a real testament to the training and coaching that we have at the school.’
To be ranked within the top 18 schools in the country is an incredible achievement, especially at two age groups. This achievement is another example of girls’ sport at Wellington College going from strength to strength, as befits a truly coeducational school.
Good luck to our Under 19 and Under 16 netball teams as they prepare to compete in the National Finals this weekend.
Make sure you’re following us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest news and updates.
We caught up with the team captains to find out their experiences of the competition so far.
Scarlett – U19s captain player:
How do you think your team progressed across the County and Regional Competition?
The team improved massively throughout the day going from strength to strength, working really well together and with star performances from different players in each match.
What does it mean to you and the team to qualify for Nationals (especially with another year group going too)?
It’s amazing to qualify for Nationals and play amongst the best of the best. We all are so excited for Nationals and can’t wait! It’s an incredible achievement for Wellington to qualify two teams for Nationals and is real testament to the training and coaching that we have at the school.
What is your focus as a team heading into Nationals?
Patience!!! We have been practising keeping the ball safe after a turn over and delivering it safely to our shooters!
Saskia – U16s captain:
How do you think your team progressed across the County and Regional Competition?
We have a good team that has worked hard to get through a lot of matches against some very tough opponents. I feel that our squad has gelled as we have moved through both competitions and especially into the regional tournament where our final few matches showed our best netball.
What does it mean to you and the team to qualify for Nationals (especially with another year group going too)?
We are really proud to be representing Wellington College, we want to do the best that we can for our school and we also recognise this is a very special opportunity just getting to National Finals; we’re proud of that achievement and we’ll try to do the best that we can as a team. It will be great to have the Under 19s there too; and we’ll try and help each other; hopefully in preparation and training ahead of the finals.
What is your focus as a team heading into Nationals?
We need to keep working on creating understanding and tactics in the way that we play, but we need to focus on a positive outlook and team connections to strengthen what we have already – we have to believe we can get even better and work hard to achieve this.
