Netball continues to flourish at the College as the first full season for three years saw 167 fixtures played by Bradfield’s ten teams, from our 1stVII to the U14Es. Starting up again following the shortened or cancelled seasons during lockdowns meant many of the teams had new combinations each week but the pupils were not fazed, and their quality continued to shine through with a number of junior girls making the step up to play for our senior teams. In particular, congratulations to Fifth Former Zahra (I) and Shell pupils Sasha (M) and Lola (I) who all featured for the 1stVII this year.
It has been a joy to see the girls enjoying being back on court and trying out new positions to help out their squads. Preseason saw all age groups competing in a triangular against Marlborough and Pangbourne and block fixtures across the season proved to be a success, beginning with teams winning 14 of the 19 fixtures against Cheltenham College. The U15As put on an impressive attacking masterclass as they scored 41 goals.
Our junior teams thrived in competitive County fixtures and our U14As were unfortunate to miss out on a place at the England Netball Schools Regional Finals, narrowly losing 9-12 in the semi-final to Wellington College.
The U16A team came through a tense semi-final, beating The Abbey 13-10 to qualify for their Regional Finals. The team, consisting mainly of girls from the Shell, put in some excellent performances during their three wins, one draw and two losses, which saw the girls placed 3rd in the group stage.
These junior teams continued to impress throughout the season, beating Daunstey’s in eight of their ten matches, winning all eight of the fixtures against KEHS Southampton and achieving the best results the school has ever had against Marlborough College. Our U14As went unbeaten throughout the whole regular season, a particular highlight coming when they avenged their County tournament defeat by beating Wellington College.
