Shiplake’s Sixth Form girls are celebrating after winning all three matches on their netball tour to Malta over half term, including one game against the Maltese U17 national team.
Girls’ Sports Captain, Maddie Simpson, reports on a fantastic trip:
“This year, the netball girls were lucky enough to be given the opportunity to go on a netball tour to Malta, along with our two coaches Miss Mordue and Mrs Settle. Alongside netball we were able to go and visit various sights around the island and have many experiences.
“On the first day, we had a netball training session at a local college and prepared ourselves for the matches which we would be playing over the course of the few days. In the afternoon, we explored the local town and were able to walk along the Harbour, do a bit of shopping and have some time to ourselves to explore and have a look around Sliema.
“Anna Hallam said about the trip: ‘It was such an amazing trip, we saw all the best sights and played some great netball! The coaches were amazing as always, making us feel like one big family.’
“The second day, with the help of an informative and fantastic tour guide, we were taken to Malta’s capital city, Valletta. There we experienced a 5D movie, looked around the streets and learned all about the history of the city.
“Antonia Tunnicliffe describes her experience of the trip: ‘I really enjoyed the Malta trip because it enabled me to get to know more of the Year 13s and Year 12s better, and I liked that we were able to play together because I thought it would have been harder with the mix up in teams.’
“On the final day, we rejoined our tour guide and were taken to Mdina, the Silent City; we also were able to see St Paul’s Grotto and take a look around the streets of Mdina, where Game of Thrones scenes were filmed! The girls loved the views as well as eating cake and enjoyed looking around the different sights of such an historic town.’
“Overall, the trip gave all the girls the opportunity for new experiences and time to bond together as a team. Everyone was amazing company, with constant jokes and high spirits, as well as lots of pasta and pizza every night!
“I know all the girls and myself are so grateful for Miss Mordue and Mrs Settle for giving us the chance to go on such an amazing trip, we are all extremely thankful to have such an opportunity to represent the college on such an fantastic Netball Tour.”
Miss Mordue, Head of Netball, said: “The trip was absolutely fantastic, and by far the best school trip I have been on. “The girls were amazing company, worked really hard in training and all three matches and really did Shiplake proud.
“They were brilliant representatives of the school during the whole trip and made us very proud to say we work at Shiplake. “The girls absolutely exceeded all our expectations and won all three matches - I think it is only now fair to say we are GB Champions!”
Match reports by Ellen Hodson, Netball Captain:
Game 1 - Shiplake v Gladiators
Shiplake’s first game in Malta was against the Gladiators. Shiplake was ready after a training session in the morning and the game began with a Gladiator first centre pass. With a quick start to the game, the Gladiators pulled ahead scoring the first few goals. However, Shiplake turned this around with strong defence that turned over the ball and kept possession up to their attacking D which led to 11-12 to Gladiators at half time. At half time, positions were moved around to help improve Shiplake’s movement around the pitch as well as in the D. Shiplake became more confident and began to make sharp drives making it easier for the ball to get to the D allowing A Galpin and M Arora to shoot. This meant that the final score was a close 22-21 to Shiplake and E Hodson received player of the match. A great first game for Shiplake to start off the tour!
Game 2 - Shiplake v Strikers
Shiplake’s second game was against the Strikers. Shiplake was more confident playing as a team and were ready for the match. Shiplake had a strong start turning around the Strikers’ centre passes and getting the ball to the attacking D. As well as this, Shiplake’s defence led by A Baker, A Hallam and M Simpson made it hard for the Strikers’ attack to be able to shoot which lowered their chances at adding to their score. This left the score at half-time being 20-14 to Shiplake. In the second-half, Shiplake centre court players created more space allowing it to be easier for the ball to travel into their D and A Galpin and M Arora more opportunity to shoot. This led to a score of 26-15 to Shiplake at the end of the game, and the player of the match went to M Arora.
Game 3 - Shiplake v U17 Malta
Shiplake’s last game of the netball tour was against Malta U17 National team. Knowing it was going to be a tough match, Shiplake was determined to give it their all. The game began evenly as both teams were scoring back and forth. However, in the second quarter Shiplake pushed up in defence to back up the attacking end and help to maintain Shiplake’s score. By half time Shiplake was leading 16-13. In the third quarter, Malta U17 worked hard and managed to even the score to 21-21. After a short break and a good team talk led by P Whitfield, Mrs Settle and Miss Mordue, Shiplake was ready to head into the last quarter to give it their all. The team worked together and supported each other, creating a strong defence, movement throughout the court and strong shooting. This led to a final score of 29-23 to Shiplake, and the player of the match went to M Arora. A fantastic match to end a brilliant netball tour to Malta and all girls and coaches were chuffed with the three match win!
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