3 minute read
Flying high
It has been a very special year for Netball at Trinity. The Girls' 1st team made history in the England Netball National Schools' Championship, not once, but twice.
November 2022 was the first time a Trinity team had ever qualified for the Regional Finals. Then, after another outstanding performance, the team qualified for the National Finals. This was despite team captain George Budden breaking her ankle during the semi-final.
In March, the top 18 schools in the country competed in the finals and Trinity finished in joint 9th overall out of 1,500 teams who entered.
What is so inspiring about this result is the fact that many of the players met for the first time last September when they joined Trinity’s Sixth Form. Whereas most of the teams in the competition have been playing together since they were in primary school.
Mrs Bennett, Trinity’s Head of Netball, played at county level and has coached three teams to the Nationals. She coaches the students alongside Netball pro Rowena Scott-Fairclough, who has represented England and is also the London Pulse Pathway Performance Manager.
Mrs Bennett says, “What makes these girls special is their desire to win. They have an incredible work ethic, are committed to training and work very hard. But more than that, they’re all great friends, and you can’t underestimate the value of that rapport.
“As girls join us in Sixth Form, we have no control over their prior development as Netballers. We have ready-made players, but not a ready-made team. That’s our job as coaches; we need to manage the personalities of the players, their positions and find what works for the team to get the best results. It’s been a wonderful year and we’re so proud of all the girls have achieved.”
Lower Sixth student Kayla Victor was player of the tournament, she says:
“One thing I learnt through this season is that we all had a role to play. As individual players, and as a team, we had to put our all into each match, give everything we had and not give up. I am so proud of how well we did; the encouragement of our supporters at the finals really lifted us up when we needed it. Plus, there were moments with the girls that had us all crying with laughter and the closeness of the team is what I will always remember.”