A brilliant day of netball at the Sussex round of the National Schools competition last weekend, saw three teams qualify for the regional rounds.
U14
Our U14 team started the day with a tough game against Roedean. Both teams produced an impressive performance, but Hurst took the win by one goal. Some convincing wins against Seaford and Ardingly saw the girls grow in confidence to take on a formidable team from Brighton College. After a slow start, the girls found themselves 4-1 down at half-time, however, they regrouped and refocused to come out firing in the second half to finish the game on 5-5. A brilliant fightback by the girls.
Another tough game against Burgess Hill Girls followed, with us girls just falling short and losing the game by a goal. A final win against Mayfield meant it was out of our hands and down to the results of the other schools as to whether the team progressed. After an agonizing wait the Hurst girls had just done enough to place second and qualify for the regional finals. A brilliant achievement considering the limited time they had to train as a squad.
U16
he U16 team played Burgess Hill Girls in their first match and came out of the blocks firing to secure their first win of the day. The girls were focused and determined to produce their best performance and secured wins against Mayfield, Lancing and Ardingly. A tough game against Brighton College followed, however with some fantastic shooting and a vital defensive turnover, Hurst took a two-goal victory. The final two games resulted in two wins against Seaford and Roedean meaning the U16s qualified for the regional finals in first place, having not lost a game all day.
1st Vll
The 1st VII knew they had a tough day ahead with Worthing College, who have won two national titles in the past two years, and a strong Brighton team ahead of them.
Our girls started strongly with some dominant wins against Lancing, Mayfield, Seaford and Roedean. They enjoyed a good battle with Cardinal Newman, and really pushed on in the second half of the game to take the win. They came out hard against Brighton College to steal the victory. Further wins came against Burgess Hill and Eastbourne before Hurst faced Worthing – another team who had not lost a game. Fatigue set in amongst the Hurst girls, and with a few uncharacteristic errors, the Worthing team gained a four-goal lead in the first half. Our girls refused to give up and continued to play until the final whistle. Despite giving Worthing a good game, Hurst just fell short of the win. The final game against Bede’s allowed Hurst to finish on a high, securing another win. After 11 games, the girls were exhausted but happy to come away in second place and qualify for the regional finals.
To read more about Hurst Sport
“ This is only the second time that all three teams have qualified for the national finals, and we are so proud of the girls' efforts - particularly as they have managed to qualify alongside a busy hockey term. A heroic effort by all involved. ” Rebecca Jutson, Assistant Director of Girls’ Sport