SPORTY SUSSEX
Sporty Sussex In the third part of our series on taking up a new sport, Hanna Prince explores the appeal of netball, archery, windsurfing and petanque
Netball It’s a school playground favourite – but netball can still be enjoyed by women (and men) of all ages and levels of experience
The sport emerged at the end of the 19th century as an alternative to the newly invented game of basketball. It was first played at Madame Ostenburg’s College in Hampstead and has been a staple of school PE lessons ever since. Today, netball is a recognised sport of the International Olympic Committee. It’s governed in the UK by three national bodies: England Netball, Netball Northern Ireland and Netball Scotland. The game is usually played on a rectangular court, divided into thirds, by two teams of seven players. Each player has an assigned position: Goal Shooter (GS), Goal Attack (GA), Wing Attack (WA), Centre (C), Wing Defence (WD), Goal Defence (GD) and
Goal Keeper (GK). Sussex has a number of netball leagues, ranging from casual and beginnerfriendly to more formal and structured. “If you haven’t played since school then a good league to join is the Social 7s,” suggested regular player Ella Cowley. “It’s a really nice league with a good mix of abilities – but there are several leagues across the county. There’s even a Brighton mixed team for both men and women. I love netball because it’s so social and you meet so many different types of people.” To get involved, visit englandnetball.co.uk/ play-netball/find-a-session-or-club or contact a local social league such as Social 7s (www.social7s.co.uk). Most leagues are women only, but Brighton Mixed Netball play on Tuesday evenings and are contactable via Facebook or Sarah Grant at social7snetball@gmail.com
Archery Archery has had close associations with Sussex since the iconic colour scheme of the archery target was invented here in the early 1800s There are dozens of clubs across the county – but all operate under the banner of the Sussex County Archery Association (SCAA), which organises regular championships and intercounty matches. “There’s quite a variety of archery styles and disciplines to choose from,” explained Rod Brown, Chairman of SCAA. “The commonest disciplines are Target – which takes place either outdoors or indoors, on a flat ground, shooting arrows at concentric zones marked on sheets of paper at distances ranging from 10 metres to 90 metres; Field – which is a form of simulated hunting that takes place in hilly woodland, at a variety of paper and 3-dimensonal targets; and Clout – where the
targets are much further away, up to 185 metres, and where the aim is to land the arrows in the ground close to a flag.” Archery can be competitive or relaxing, supportive, fitnessboosting and accessible to a surprising range of disabilities. According to Rod, it’s also a
fantastic family sport for all ages. “This inclusivity really shows up in our indoor championships, when everyone – female, male, able-bodied, disabled, blind, junior, senior and veteran – are all together on the same shooting-line aiming at targets the same distance away.” Most archery clubs run beginner courses year-round. Visit sussex-archery.org.uk/ sussex-archery-clubs/ to find a club local to you. chairman@sussex-archery.org.uk July 2021 | SUSSEX LIVING 101
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