4 mins
Yarm, Putney High and Hartpury take the honours
The England Netball National Schools competition is the biggest and longest running competition in English netball. Supported by principal partners of the event, the British Army, the U16 and U19 tournaments took place on 15 and 16 March, with the U14 competition following on the weekend after.
18 teams took part in each competition, all of whom had progressed through the County Rounds, from which the top schools advanced to the Regional Schools Finals, with the top two sides from each age category from each region then qualifying for the National Finals weekend.
The finals competition began with teams being split into two groups where they competed in a round-robin format. The top two teams in each section then progressed to the semi-finals, followed by third-place play-offs and then the final.
Under 14s
Last year’s champions Berkhamsted School failed to qualify for this year’s finals, showing the incredible depth in schools netball. Putney High and Yarm School, who were second and third last year, had a great chance to improve on those results and it was Yarm who took that opportunity.
They came away with the title, with Brighton College second and St Albans High third.
Yarm School did not have it all their own way by any means, with Brighton College topping Group B at the end of the round-robin matches. They picked up seven wins and just one loss, whilst Yarm School had an 8-8 draw with Scarisbrick Hall School and a 10-12 loss to Presdales, which saw them tucked in behind Brighton.
U14s
Winners Yarm School Second place for Brighton College Bronze for St Albans High Yarm’s Phoebe Arvanitis, Gilbert Player of the Tournament, presented by Anya Williams
U16s
Winners Putney High Second place for Walthamstow Hall Bronze for The Fallibroome Academy Putney High’s Timi Adawale, Gilbert Player of the Tournament, presented by Sophie Egbaran
U19s
Winners Hartpury College Second place for Berkhamsted School Bronze for Millfield School Queen Ethelburga’s Izzy Doughty, Gilbert Player of the Tournament
St Albans High topped Group A, winning all their round-robin matches, and Parkstone Grammar finished second on goal difference, after tying with The Queens School on points.
In the semi-finals, Brighton College beat Parkstone Grammar 12-10, and St Albans High School for Girls fell 9-14 to Yarm.
This set the stage for Yarm School to face Brighton College and it was the North East side who were victorious, holding on for a 16-14 victory. St Albans High took bronze after a 12-8 victory over Parkstone Grammar.
Across the competition, there were several standout performances. After impressing on court throughout the U14 event, Yarm School’s Phoebe Arvanitis was named Gilbert Player of the Tournament, taking home a £100 voucher that was presented by Future Rose Anya Williams.
The Pam Telford Endeavour Award, named in honour of Pam Telford, who sadly passed away last year after dedicating over 40 years to the National Schools competition, was presented to Newton Abbot College, recognising their outstanding sportsmanship and respect.
Under 16s
Putney High, aiming to defend their title, kickstarted their campaign with a clean sweep in Group A, while Walthamstow Hall matched their dominance in Group B – both securing their semi-final spots.
Other schools to advance were St Albans High School for Girls, who won six and lost two in Group A, and The Fallibroome Academy, who won seven and lost one in Group B.
Putney High recorded a dominant 23-6 victory over Fallibroome in the semi-finals and were joined in the final by Walthamstow Hall, who maintained their unbeaten streak with a thrilling 11-10 victory over St Albans High.
It was a showdown between familiar foes in the final as the two London & South East sides went head-to-head, and it was reigning champions Putney High who defended their crown with an 11-6 win.
St Albans High found themselves once again on the wrong side of a one-goal game in the third-place play-off as The Fallibroome Academy took home bronze with a 13-12 win.
Putney High’s Timi Adawale claimed the individual accolade for the second year in a row, with Future Rose Sophie Egbaran on hand to present the award and the Pam Telford Endeavour Award was presented to Redmaids’ High School.
Under 19s
Defending champions Hartpury College won seven out of their eight first stage round-robin matches in Group A, topping their division on goal average despite a 10-15 defeat to Berkhamsted School. Both schools progressed to the semi-finals.
In Group B, Hurstpierpoint College led the way with six wins and two draws, while Millfield School followed closely behind with six wins, one loss and one draw.
Hartpury College and Berkhamsted School proved too strong for their opponents to secure their places in the final, Hartpury overcoming Millfield School 15-6, while Berkhamsted triumphed 1220 against Hurstpierpoint.
The stage was therefore set for 2024’s champions Hartpury to face 2023 winners Berkhamsted. Hartpury showed real quality in avenging their earlier defeat and running out 20-11 winners. Millfield took the bronze after a closely contested 11-8 victory over Hurstpierpoint.
Queen Ethelburga’s Izzy Doughty was named Gilbert Player of the Tournament, taking home a £100 voucher, and the Pam Telford Endeavour Award was presented to Wakefield Girls High School.
A huge thank you to the players, coaches, support staff, umpires, officials, volunteers, and spectators for a fantastic competition.
Thank you also to our partners – British Army, Gilbert, Physique (who supplied first aid kits for each school on arrival and prizes for each player on the winning teams), Collection Cosmetics, Rayburn Tours, Here We Flo and Perform Better – for their invaluable support of the event.