Oakham's netballers are East Midlands Champions!

Published by Oakham School on Friday 6th of March 2015

Oakham's U19 netball team have been triumphant in their bid to make it through to the National Schools Finals after taking the top spot in the East Midlands regional final. The girls spectacularly won every game of the regional tournamen!

Oakham had four group games at the regional finals against Repton, Stamford, Oundle and Bilborough, where they quickly achieved four great wins 6-5, 9-4, 10-2 and 15-2 respectively. There had been some brilliant play in all areas of the court, with attack, centre court and defence all equally pulling their weight to ensure victory.

After a short wait, Oakham faced Wyggeston & Queen Elizabeth I College in the semi-finals. Oakham made some errors in the first half, meaning that they 2-6 down at half time. With only 7 minutes left to turn the match around, the half-time team talk was very direct: 'Teamwork and discipline will win you this, now get out there and do it!' The girls did not disappoint; the second half could not have been more different, and Oakham ended as winners 9-8. It was a proud moment for all, and Oakham had successfully booked their place in the National Finals (the top 2 teams are selected from each region).

This didn't make the girls complacent in the final against Repton, however. With some terrific defence work, Oakham were dominant, ending the match with a final score of 6-4.

Director of Netball Carly Latham said, 'It was a tremendous effort from the whole squad. Game after game, they showed determination, discipline and teamwork. My proudest moment was their comeback in the semi-finals from 2-6 down to end up the victors 9-8. Whilst the competition at Nationals will be a step up, the girls have shown that they have what it takes to be real contenders.'

The team are now regional champions and go through to play in the national finals on Saturday 14 March.