ENGLISH netball has been going from strength to strength, and with the news that the sport has been granted £16.9million in funding from Sport England, it is certainly an exciting time to be involved in the game.
But between the recent International Quad Series, and the upcoming Superleague series to be aired on SkySports, local netball players have taken it upon themselves to create a brand new local league for a faster version of the sport.
The WeySports Fast5 Invitational League has been set up following the rise in popularity of the alternate Fast Five version of netball.
It’s an exhilarating, fast-paced and energetic version of the original game which was devised in 2008 to make the game more exciting for spectators. The game is played with five players, instead of the usual seven and is made up of four, six-minute quarters.
As well as a different scoring system, each team also nominates a power-play quarter, in which all points scored are doubled.
Juliette Frampton, founder of WeySports Netball Club based in Weymouth, set up the tournament, played at Redlands over the course of three Thursday evenings.
The Invitational League consists of four teams: George Bar and Grill and Waterside, both teams who play in the Premier division of the South West Dorset League; the Huskies, a team made up of a mix of Premier and Division One League players and WeySports, who have teams in Divisions One and Two of the league.
It kicked off with George Bar and Grill versus WeySports. Both teams started off with great enthusiasm and despite WeySports scoring first, it was George who quickly took the lead.
But WeySports were not to be outdone though and made great use of their rolling subs to keep fresh legs and intensity on the court. But in the end, the skill of the Premier Division’s George Bar and Grill came up trumps and they walked away with an 18-11 win.
The second game of the first evening saw Waterside vs Huskies. Both side’s started sharply, with the Huskies clearly in it to win it and showing great athletic ability and superb ball work on court. Waterside, however, showed their depth of experience and great teamwork to counter the threat posed.
Despite the close battle, it was Waterside who came out on top, with a narrow 17-16 victory to cap off a first night for the league.
CONTACT US:
t: 01305 830990
e: sport
@dorsetecho.co.uk
twitter: @Dorsetechosport
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here