On Saturday 6th May, we welcomed Dulwich College Suzhou to Wellington to play the U13s netball squads. It was an excellent morning of netball and it was extremely pleasing to see how well the girls have progressed over the course of recent weeks. Major facets of their game have markedly improved and the team is now working closely together on the court. Our first game was against DCSZ 1 and resulted in a loss. As with previous weeks, the team discovered and then and worked hard to overcome the challenges of fending off a faster Dulwich side. Our defence team were consistent in their approach and on many occasions they made it difficult for the Dulwich shooting pair to move effectively once they got within the circle. I am particularly pleased to see how Carla and Scarlett have begun to feed off each other’s movements and are sometimes switching whom they defend in order to provide better cover and support for each other. The Dulwich shooters were very strong though, rarely missing a goal-scoring opportunity. Our second game was against the Wellington B squad. Mrs Haley and I were proud to see how well both squads have continued to develop a greater understanding for the game and how to play together as a team. We dominated from the middle out, with Cherry as the leading role in centre. The girls played on to a victory, one which was not so easily achieved. Our shooting pair certainly had stronger opposition this week, which sometimes knocked their confidence. The final game of the day for the A squad was against DCSZ 2. This proved to be a much more evenly balanced game, with play often moving end-to-end with some goals, interceptions and plenty of pace. This was the second win of the day for us and it was an enjoyable game to watch. As we are nearing the end of this very short season, I am finally beginning to see the squad think more about their spacing, their passing and how they defend. We have finals on May 20th and I hope to see this positive trend of development continue. Overall, this was a fantastic effort, girls! Keep working hard, as it will always be worth it in the end. Suzanne Hugo Netball coach