Barrow Hills U11 netball team impress at regional tournament

Barrow Hills School, in Surrey, is celebrating success in the U11 Regional IAPS netball competition, finishing an impressive third in the tournament which featured 37 teams.

The U11 team travelled to Hurstpierpoint College with Madelon Burnett Head of Girls’ Games at Barrow Hills School and their coach Sarah Gartland, on 2^nd March for the competition and finished first in their section of ten teams, winning all nine matches against: Sutton Valance, St Catherine’s, Reigate St Mary’s, Ashford, St Teresa’s, Bede’s, Windlesham House, St Andrew’s and Russell House.

The team then went on to play all section winners and lost to Wimbledon High and Holy Cross but recovered their form to beat The Study, resulting in the School finishing third overall out of 37 teams.

The first match brought an easy win 4-0 over St Andrew’s; the second game resulted in a very close match against St Catherine’s with Barrow Hills' team winning 3-2. Next up was the match against St Teresa’s which delivered an overwhelming 8-0 win for Barrow Hills with excellent shooting from Lucy Peek and Alice Cooley. The winning streak continued with another victory over Bede’s 7-0 in the 4^th match.

The following game against Russell House proved a tougher challenge but Barrow Hills held their nerve winning 4-2 thanks to some great defence work from Annabelle Gray and Elena Byakova. The 6^th match against Reigate St Mary’s brought a repeat 4-2 win followed by a further 5-0 win over Ashford, a game which witnessed some superb passing by Barrow Hills’ players. The 8^th match saw the School pitched against Windlesham House, a game which the team had anticipated as likely to be their toughest match but once again, the Barrow Hills girls’ stepped up to the plate to achieve a clear 3-1 win. By the final match against Sutton Valence, the team had already qualified but that did not stop them from putting in a strong performance, winning 4-2.

The final result is a reflection of the incredible effort put in by all who played. Team members include: Serena Brydon who worked tirelessly in centre position, always running to get free for a pass. India Bustard played well as a strong defender. Elena Byakova and Annabelle Gray achieved countless interceptions in defence. Lucy Peek delivered some amazing shooting from virtually any position. Lucy Isherwood and Madeleine Gay proved indomitable when it came to getting free for a pass, while Alice Cooley was consistently strong in Goal Attack, the timing of her movement and passes was exceptional.

At the U11 IAPS Netball finals, the team finished sixth in their section of 10 teams, a remarkable achievement.

For more information about Barrow Hills, please see their profile on School Search, the leading online guide to UK independent schools.