DATE – SUNDAY 20 May 2018
TIME – 8.30AM TO 4.30PM
VENUE – ASHBY SCHOOL, LEICESTER ROAD, LE65 1DT
Another fantastic day of netball! And the sun shone for us all day.
All teams registered by 9am and players went on court to listen to Carla Garey welcome everyone and go through the format for the day. Umpires then met with Lynda Sanders to discuss their responsibilities and runners were assigned to the courts to ensure scorecards got to the Official’s Tent after every match.
Matches started on time and players settled into the 10minute halves quickly. No injuries and no on-court issues helped make the morning session run smoothly.
We had a great turnout of supporters; husbands, wives, mums, dads, children, dogs… Off court, there were photos taken by Hannah Chapman and Adam Corner of Happy Orange, the kids had a Bouncy Castle and Scuttle Bugs to play around on, and there was food and drink a plenty.
Lunchtime break saw the the kids come onto the courts and take part in the Shoot-off with the winner taking home a netball.
Saffron Catering provided a fabulous BBQ, as always, and there was ice-cream and cakes for those of us with a sweet tooth. Over at the Optimum Performance tent, there was rarely an empty table as the ladies took full use of the free sports massages.
The afternoon session started on time and, despite the heat, the players fought for every point. A bit of boogying from the umpires (Val Kindred and Suzie Jacobs leading the way), helped to keep the atmosphere light a jovial whilst waiting for games to start. DJ Dave spun a terrific set and made the whole day relaxed, fun and enjoyable.
Quarter Finals saw the winners and runners up of each group take to the courts in a simple knockout round; the winners would stay on. Teams that weren’t in the QFs hung around to show their support, which was great to see. Semi Finals saw the same format, with 4 teams battling it out. Ashby Diamonds and Blaby Wildcats won their respective SFs to face each other in the Final. The Final was fabulous. Supporters all came down onto the courts either side to watch these 2 deserving teams play, despite being exhausted and hot. At half time, it was all level but in the 2nd half, Blaby just pipped Ashby to the post and won.
Chris Mawbey from Optimum Performance presented Ashby Diamonds with their runner-up trophies and then Blaby Wildcats received their WINNERS trophies. Well done ladies.
This year’s Charity was Zoe’s Place and, thanks to your wonderful generosity with your Raffle prizes, buying out all the raffle tickets and playing in the Lunchtime shootout we were able to raise £500.00. So thank you from us and from Zoe’s Place.
Thank you to all the umpires who took on the difficult and mentally tiring job of umpiring the matches. Special Thank You to Val Kindred from LCNA who came to support us, umpire some matches and umpire the Final. Val does so much to support us and help our players develop that we are always so honoured that she also comes to our Tournament and Annual Ball.
Thank you to all our suppliers for your attendance on the day – your food, beverages, ice-cream and soothing hands were very much appreciated.
Thank you to the weather for being fabulous for a change.
And finally, a massive THANK YOU to all the teams that came along and made it the best Tournament to date.
See you all next year!!! xxx