U11 Girls Champions in Shanghai Netball Finals

Saturday 24^th March was the finals day for the Shanghai International Schools U11s and U9s sports teams and also the culmination of a whole term of hugely exciting competitive sport.  All the teams gathered at Dulwich College Shanghai on this warm and sunny morning, prepared for a final day of intense competition.   The Wellington U11s netball A squad have had a tremendous season, winning all their league games, and they arrived at Dulwich determined to play their very best. Despite being up against a number of teams they had not played before, they won all the round-robin games in the morning convincingly, putting them into the semi-final in the afternoon.  Despite some nerves, the girls won their semi-final match against DCS Pudong 8 – 1, and were ready to face Dehong in the final.  With great excitement and anticipation they waited patiently on the side-lines whilst the U9s final took place. Soon enough, it was their turn!   After a nervous start, Wellington soon took the lead and dominated the first half completely, barely losing possession and holding an impressive 7 – 0 lead. The second half passed in a whirlwind of excellent netball, with Wellington only conceding one goal and scoring 4 more. The whole team played excellently and all ten members of the squad contributed to the final victorious scoreline of 11 – 1.   The squad has been developing over the last two years at Wellington and has steadily improved and progressed throughout this time to become the strong and cohesive team that it now is. As their coach, I would like to pay tribute to all the girls in our squad, including some who could not be there on Saturday but who have made their tangible contribution throughout the term. Through dedication and commitment, they have evolved into an extraordinary group of young ladies. They not only show great sportsmanship and team spirit but are also modest and gracious, both in victory and defeat.  Congratulations to our amazing team, which was comprised of:  Kayleigh Hugo, Dior Brandini, Kiara Thomas, Anna Qi, Grace Cai, Ines Gu, Konstanze Forst, Beatrice Belotti, Mia Jonker and Eva Xia.   Nick Starbrook Director of Sport Wellington College international Shanghai