Girls' Netball: Ardvreck Tournament

Belhaven Hill Girls' Netball Teams compete in the Ardvreck tournament

U13

We arrived at Ardvreck, the sun was shining and far warmer than we expected!  The team had a tough draw for the afternoon and, with Gordonstoun unable to attend, they only had three matches to play.  The first match was against Cargilfield, who were the eventual winners of the tournament, and it was a really close match.  Cargilfield took the lead quite quickly, but Lily was on fine shooting form today and with some careful passes into the circle from Alice and Izzi, we soon equalised. Play was back and forth for the entire 10mins. Lottie and Ottie defended well whilst Louisa and Alice moved to create space in the centre. Breaking our centre pass put Cargilfield in the lead and a final goal from their next centre, secured their victory.  It was a great first match and the school fixture next week against them will be exciting! 
 
Next up we played Strathallan, (who were runners up in the tournament), for the third time this term.  We knew they were a good team and in order to stay in the game, we needed to ensure our play was secure, and we slowed the game.  Sophie and Lily scored two goals to their five, with Willow defending well with Ottie to pass the ball out of the defending circle.  This was the closest of all our games against them this term, so the girls should be proud of themselves.  
 
Our final match of the afternoon was against Kilgraston. Having not played them in a regular fixture, they were an unknown to us but the girls settled quickly into the game, making good use of the space on the court. Lily and Sophie were well placed in the circle and took advantage of creating space away from their markers.  There was some great defending from Willow, Lottie and Ottie, whilst the mid court players Alice, Izzi and Lousia controlled the game well, using the width of the court. 
 
A great afternoon girls. You played with determination throughout and improved greatly against some very tough opposition. Well done!

Results: 

Belhaven 6 – Cargilfield 8
Belhaven 2 – Strathallan 5
Belhaven 4 – Kilgraston 0

Girl of the tournament: Lily for some excellent shooting 

U11

The girls arrived on a chilly yet bright Perthshire afternoon in good spirits. Due to a couple of schools dropping out from the tournament there was a shortened format of only three group games.

As far as tough opening opposition goes, Fettes, eventual tournament champions, could not have been more challenging. Despite this, the girls rose to the occasion and played with great spirit, grit and determination. Iris kept her composure in the attacking third and scored two goals in quick succession. Fettes proved too powerful in the end and ended up winning the match 2 - 8.

It was yet again another tough opponent the girls faced in their next match. St Mary’s, eventual semi-finalists, dominated the court in all thirds. India and Bella defended stoically and Wendy buzzed round the court with typical energy. The game ended 0 - 4 to St Mary’s and even though the girls scored no goals in this game there were obvious signs of improvement.

The final game against Loretto was a thriller and one befitting of the improvements the girls have made not just in this tournament but over the season as a whole. Maggie and Ottilie shot with great accuracy and Daisy and Emily worked hard, passing with great speed and accuracy. The scoring went back and forth until the final whistle blew at 4 - 4.

Well done to all the girls involved, particularly for their courage in the face of tough opposition and their courtesy when thanking opposition coaches, umpires and hosts.