High 5 Netball Yr 6’s Claim Gold in Wandsworth Qualifiers

Wandsworth School Games Organiser, Nick Miller, organised another full day of netball (well, the High 5 variation) in the sun at Burntwood yesterday and Honeywell took a Yr 6 and a Yr 5 team to compete. We have been to Burntwood before, and this event is popular, so runs across two days. For 7 consecutive years, Honeywell has fielded a team, and we have certainly improved year on year with focused coaching delivered by our parent volunteers. At last count we have 7 netball coaches delivering weekly netball for pupils in years 3-6.

With experience, comes knowledge (and not only on court).  This year, we determined which heat The Roche would be competing in (they win this comp regularly, and continue to deliver strong netballers under the guidance of Miss Maria, who trains her squad both in and out of school 3 times a week) to give Honeywell the strongest chance of success.  We chose to compete in Heat 2, where The Roche had entered a Yr 4/5 team in the plate competition, to give our netballers a chance to compete on a level playing field.  

Looking exceptionally smart in our Honeywell Netball Kit (thank you Killick & Co), our squad of Year 6's went running towards the courts with chants of "We've played here before" "Isn't this where we won gold last year as Yr 5's?" and "Look, it's the concrete block where we had our winners photo taken with our medals - let's recreate that".    

Our Yr 5 squad has a number of players who train at Spencer NC, and this is where they arrive every Saturday morning without fail (irrespective of the weather) to train on the outside courts, so they were just delighted to see the sun shining, non-icy courts, and with the knowledge that they could warm up inside at their own pace, took their position around the goalpost, and started their routine.

There was a definite buzz in the air, and without wanting to jinx what was to unfold, Sarah & I re-worked the rotations one final time (this is the hardest part of the High 5 format, because you can not play your strongest team in every match, the format is designed to deliver well-rounded netballers, who are flexible and capable in all positions) having spent hours on rotations the night before, we arrived to find we had a different number of matches, so had to work back from the position we thought we would reach (confident we would be in the finals for both year groups) to ensure a rotation that worked across all games.  

Luckily, due to the level of focus and dedication our coaches give week on week, all of the players in this tournament have exceptional game knowledge, good fitness, and an ability to play all positions - with a special note to all of those players who spent their free time practicing shooting this month to improve their accuracy, we were hopeful the competition would progress in our favour.  

On top of all of that, Tournaments are hard work, the matches are short (7 minutes, 1 way) you don't know the strength (or otherwise) of your opponents until you see the first few passes in each game, and an easy win or two doesn't mean the next matches will follow suit, so there's a psychological aspect where players have to approach each game as a new challenge, and these netballers are young, so it's very easy to see easy wins, and then think the rest of the day will be a walk in the park.

Anyway, Yr 6 & Yr 5's warmed up, Sarah reiterated shooting triangles, and driving towards the ball, and then I took the slightly risky decision to teach them a drill that not only used their bodies, but involved their brains (to keep them occupied & focused in the buzz of the sports hall from the 20 teams / 160 children).  I had an easier drill ready if they couldn't crack the new one, but they excelled, a couple of incorrect turns, but basically, they nailed it - if this was a sign of things to come, then Honeywell was in for a good day!

Our Yr 6's have worked hard all season, and have increased their shooting practice recently - and it showed:  

vs West Hill          6-0 Theo scoring 4 and Lily 2.  

vs St Anselm's     6-2 Millie & Saya scoring 3 each.  

vs St Michael's     3-3 Jemima & Olivia both shooting and scoring.  

vs Allfarthing        8-0 - Nicole & Max 4 goals a piece  

Winning the group, Yr 6's played their semis against Penwortham - a sporty school, but more cricket and football focused than netball, and with Theo and Lily as Shooters, we took the win 2-0.  

With both teams making their respective finals, (which were held at the same time) our Yr 5's met The Roche and Yr 6's St Michael's.  

Yr 6's took to the court, knowing they had drawn in the group stage against St Michael's.  Our opponents arrived on court, took their positions, and somehow I spotted that they had 3 boys in bibs.  There is *no* rotation that allows all 3 boys in the squad on court, I know this, because of the hours studying the sheet trying to determinte the best combination!  With a loud "I don't believe you can field 3 boys" in range of the umpire, St Michael's teacher rapidly re-looked at her rotation, and placed 2 boys on court where they should be, and the match started.  Well, what can I say, Max was pitted against the tallest GA I've ever seen (luckily he knows how to jump) and worked his socks off to intercept and pass the ball back down the court to Olivia, who in turn sent it right in to Jemima, and then Saya (who had already proved an accuracy of over 90% shooting) and our first goal was scored.  Honeywell's centre pass next, and the ball sailed down to our goal post for a second goal.  St Michael's centre pass next, and they took the ball down to their goal, but Lily was on top form, and tipped the ball off court for a Honeywell throw in, giving Honeywell our 3rd goal.  It was at this stage that I turned to Shweta (one of our Yr 3 netball coaches and Honeywell parent) who was scoring, and we started silently celebrating.  1 more goal, and none to St Michael's and Honeywell's Yr 6's had won...Gold Medals collected - job done!  

Gold for the Yr 6's, made extra sweet by the fact that they took gold last year as Yr 5's in the plate comp - a matching pair - well done!  Whilst this is a 5 a side game, everyone had court time, and all of our players worked their socks off, bringing the gold home because of their focus during the group stages and the semis, and finals.  

When (as Coaches) we reached Honeywell's gates at 3.30pm, we bumped into Ms Clarke, who mentioned that she'd heard of today's success, by virtue of the fact that one of the players had hurled herself at her mum at the school gate screaming "We won" whilst showing off her medal.  

If you've read this far, then here are the key take outs:  

- Both teams worked hard, they know the game, and they motivated each other when there were errors on court, rather than blaming team mates for dropped balls.  

- Honeywell Ambassadors for sure, they listened, focused and understood the tournament format, thanking umpires, and cheering their opponents at the end of each game.  

- Of all the schools who competed over the two heats, Honeywell, The Roche, Prospect House, St Michael's and Sacred Heart were the 5 of over 20 that had received netball coaching, and therefore knew & understood the game.  There was so much natural talent on the courts yesterday, but only a few schools had provided their children with the knowledge needed to play the game, and in short matches, it's knowledge that drives the advantage.  

- We are very proud of all of our players who attend training weekly, give a 100% work rate, and they deserve to see the rewards they earn in these events.