The third ENG U111 Netball Cup national finals took place at the Essex Sports Arena in Colchester. This fantastic event is for young performance-minded netballers and gives clubs a chance to gain access to the prestigious ENG Youth Netball Premier League.

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Sixteen teams took on the challenge of becoming our national champions, and with over three hundred spectators in attendance, the players had the perfect setting to take on the challenge in front of them.

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Group Stages 

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Group A
This was a tough group that contained the competition favourites, Oldham Owls. Oldham Owls had proven themselves throughout the season in our u12 competitions, making them the team to beat. 

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Their first game against Poole suggested either Oldham was underestimating its opponent or Poole was rising to the challenge. Poole started amazingly well, forcing Oldham into mistakes, and led with only two and a half minutes to go of the game. A turnover from the Poole backline with just over a minute to go gave Oldham a chance to level the game, and that's precisely what they did. On the Poole centre pass, another mistake allowed Oldham to win the game with under a minute to go, and Oldham took full advantage and went on to win by two points. In the other opening game, Hatfield defeated Bramhall 6-3.

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Hatfield was next to take on Oldham and, like Poole, put up a fantastic challenge. Oldham led throughout the game, but Hatfield showed a lot of durability to stay in the contest. With the score at 7-4, Hatfield launched a comeback that nearly saw them equalise with forty seconds to go, but the feed into the shooter was agonisingly too long. It was another win for Oldham but another indication of how challenging this event would be.

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After the Oldham defeat, Poole went from strength to strength, convincingly defeating Bramhall and then winning twice against a near-perfect Hatfield side. This meant they took the runners-up spot in the table, with Oldham winning the group and Hatfield coming third. Bramhall had to settle for fourth place after what was a tough group.

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Results
Hatfield (6) Vs Bramhall (3)
Poole (4) Vs Oldham Owls (6)
Oldham Owls (8) Vs Hatfield (6)
Poole (9) Vs Bramhall (2)
Hatfield (3) Vs Poole (8)
Oldham Owls (13) Vs Bramhall (0)
Bonus Round
Oldham Owls (12) Vs Bramhall (1)
Poole (8) Vs Hatfield (5)

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Group B
Solid starts from Shan and Oaksway saw them set the pace in this group. Oaksway, though, couldn't maintain their performance level in the first game and came unstuck against AP Saints, who did well to bounce back after a heavy defeat to Shan. Essex Open lost their second game to Shan and needed a big performance in the final match to climb the table.

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The final game before the bonus round saw Shan gain maximum points after another solid win, this time against Oaksway. After an impressive win against Oaksway, the AP Saints were looking for back-to-back wins but came up against a determined Essex Open, desperate to get some points on the board. Essex Open did very well in grabbing the win against the North London side, which would significantly impact their competition going forward.

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In the bonus round, Oaksway steadied the rocky ship with a win over AP Saints; this was revenge for the earlier defeat in the group. Shan took on bottom place Essex Open, who had the chance to climb the table with a win, but Shan was in incredible form, and that outcome looked unlikely.

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Both teams started the game well, but Shan pulled away and was 6-3 up with a couple of minutes to go. However, Essex Open showed great character in forcing Shan into mistakes, leading to them being only one point down with seconds to go. With fifteen seconds on the clock, Essex Open worked the ball into the shooting and circle, and a fantastic feed into the shooter set the game up for a dramatic draw. With the five-second countdown being announced, the Essex Open shooter held her nerve to score and tie the game. This meant they climbed off the bottom of the table into third, which was a huge moment for them navigating the competition.

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Results
AP Saints (5) Vs Shan (11)
Essex Open (1) Vs Oaksway (8)
Oaksway (3) Vs AP Saints (4)
Essex Open (1) Vs Shan (5)
AP Saints (3) Vs Essex Open (5)
Oaksway (5) Vs Shan (8)
Bonus Round
Oakway (9) Vs AP Saints (4)
Essex Open (6) Vs Shan (6)

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Group C
This group was dominated by Little Sutton, who was tipped to be the strongest challenger to Oldham Owls in this event. In all the games they played, Little Sutton was dominant, and they convincingly grabbed the top spot going into the knock-out stages.

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Magic Pink, who were tipped to do well in this competition, got their competition underway with a significant loss to Little Sutton. Up next was Oldham Red. Oldham started well and was cruising until Magic showed their quality to bring the game back to one point. It was another loss for Magic, but a better performance.

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In the bonus round, Magic and Oldham again met. Magic had to win to earn the runner-up spot, and after a close contest, they managed a narrow one-point win to end their group stage in a positive way after a slow start. 

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Results
Magic Pink (3) Vs Little Sutton (9)
Braintree (2) Vs Oldham Red (9)
Oldham Red (6) Vs Magic Pink (5)
Braintree (3) Vs Little Sutton (11)
Magic Pink (12) Vs Braintree (2)
Little Sutton (8) Vs Oldham Red (5)
Bonus Round
Little Sutton (11) Vs Braintree (0)
Oldham Red (7) Magic Pink (8)

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Group D
Like Little Sutton in Group C, Sutton Town stormed to victory in this group. A formidable group on paper, the Midlands champions swept aside their opponents, including a thumping 8-1 win against Ellesmere Port. They won the group and were guaranteed a top-eight place in the competition.

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Turnford did well in their final two games of the group to set up a bonus round game against Ellesmere Port. With a decent goal difference compared to Ellesmere Port, Turnford looked likely to stay in the runners-up position. Ellesmere Port, though, showed their quality in the back end of this tie, and they piled on the goals to make the unlikely outcome of them finishing in a runner-up position very likely. Turnford held on to their runners-up spot despite a 12-5 loss, to the relief of their coaching staff.

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Results
Sutton Town (8) Vs Turnford (5)
Ellesmere Port (6) Vs Ryland (4)
Sutton Town (8) Vs Ellesmere Port (1)
Ryland (4) Vs Turnford (9)
Sutton Town (8) Vs Ryland (5)
Turnford (9) Vs Ellesmere Port (4)
Bonus Round
Ellesmere Port (12) Vs Turnford (5)
Sutton Town (9) Vs Ryland (1)

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Quarter-Final Play-Offs
The quarter-final play-offs saw mixed results. Oldham Owls, who had ended the group stages strong, stepped up their performance in this round with a 16-1 win over AP Saints. Shan, Little Sutton, Oaksway NC and Sutton Town also recorded convincing wins to cruise into the quarter-finals.

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One of the shocks of the round was in the Poole and Essex Open tie. Poole had performed superbly all day and took on Essex Open, who had a very up-and-down day with only one win. Poole didn't rise to the challenge in this knock-out game and was beaten way too easily against Essex Open, who looked more confident, especially after that dramatic draw against Shan in the bonus round. A one-sided 9-2 win for Essex saw Poole placed in our 9th-14th playoff games, and for Essex, a top-eight finish was guaranteed.

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Ellesmere Port staged a dramatic comeback against Magic to advance to the quarter-final. However, they were 6-1 down with only half the game remaining, and it looked likely they wouldn't advance. Magic, whether they believed the game was won or not, started to make mistakes to allow Ellesmere Port back into the game. Ellesmere Port leveled the game at 8-8 and had the chance to win it in standard time, but their defender was penalized for taking a throw in an incorrect position. This allowed Magic to win the game potentially, and after the normal time had ended, the umpire gave them a chance to shoot the ball after the buzzer had gone and it was missed, the game went into overtime. In the overtime period, Ellesmere Port took control of the game and went two points ahead. Magic did claw a goal back, but Ellesmere Port responded straight away to kill off the game and secure a place in the quarter-finals.

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A close game between Turnford and Oldham Red saw this tie drawing with three minutes to go. With the game tied at 4-4, Turnford grabbed the initiative to go three points ahead, and they advanced into the quarter-finals.

 

Results
Oldham Owls (16) Vs AP Saints (1)
Oaksway (4) Vs Hatfield (1)
Shan (8) Vs Bramhall (3)
Poole (2) Vs Essex Open (9)
Little Sutton (8) Vs Ryland (1)
Turnford (7) Vs Oldham Red (5)
Magic Pink (9) Vs Ellesmere Port (11)
Sutton Town (13) Vs Braintree (3)

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9th-14th Play-Offs

Poole (6) Vs Bramhall (4)

AP Saints (9) Vs Hatfield (4)

Oldham Red (11) Vs Ryland (6)

Magic (9) Vs Braintree (3)

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Quarter-Finals

Oldham seemed unstoppable in the knock-out stages with another faultless performance, this time a 12-0 win over Oaksway. Little Sutton was doing its best to emulate Oldham; they won 8-4 against a very good Turnford side.

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Essex Open was matched against Shan for the third time. Shan had won the first game, and their second game was a draw. Essex Open started the brighter of the two teams and put Shan on the back foot, going 4-1 ahead at the halfway mark. Shan worked so hard to get back in the game, but every time Shan put pressure on Essex Open, they responded with a goal to keep a continuous two-point lead. With only one point in the game and around twenty seconds to go, Essex Open held onto the ball to confirm their place in the semi-final.

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Sutton Town and Ellesmere Port, throughout all the age groups, serve up a spectacle of a game. This tie between the two sides was going to be no different. Sutton Town started the better of the two teams and were two points ahead early on. This carried on until the final two minutes. With the score at 6-4, a great feed from the Ellesmere Port center would be the catalyst for the incredible finale of the game. Ellesmere Port then had the center, and this would be to level the game; another superb feed from the center would set the Ellesmere Port shooter up to level the tie, and that's exactly what she did. Time was now ticking, and it was a Sutton Town centre pass. You could see Sutton Town's nervousness, which caused them to throw away the ball. The initiative was now with Ellesmere Port to win the game. With thirty seconds to go, Ellesmere Port had a free pass, and their centre made it a hattrick of excellent feeds to the shooter, and like the previous two, the ball was sent into the net. This would be the match-winning goal, and Ellesmere Port was in the semi-finals.

 

Results

Oldham Owls (12) Vs Oaksway (0)

Shan (5) Vs Essex Open (6)

Little Sutton (8) Vs Turnford (4)

Ellesmere Port (7) Vs Sutton Town (6)

 

Knock-Outs 13th-16h
Ryland (10) Vs Hatfield (1)
Braintree (2) Vs Bramhall (3)

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Knock-Outs 9th-12th
AP Saints (5) Vs Oldham Red (7)
Magic (6) Vs Poole (9)

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Semi-Finals
Oldham and Little Sutton marched into the final with wins in their semi-final ties. Oldham won their game by another incredible score of 12-0, and Little Sutton defeated Ellesmere Port 13-5 to set up a mouth-watering tie between themselves and Oldham.

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Result
Oldham (12) Vs Essex Open (0)
Little Sutton (13) Vs Ellesmere Port (5)

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15th-16th Final
Braintree (3) Vs Hatfield (9)

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13th-14th Final
Bramhall (4) Vs Ryland (10)

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11th-12th Final
AP Saints (11) Vs Magic (9)

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9th-10th Final
Oldham Red (10) Vs Poole (11)

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7th-8th Final
Oaksway (8) Vs Turnford (7)

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5th-6th Final
Sutton Town (10) Vs Shan (5)

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3rd-4th Final
Ellesmere Port and Essex Open went toe to toe in their final game. Essex Open drew first blood by going up 4-2, but Ellesmere Port responded by scoring three goals without response to go in at halftime one point ahead. The game then went goal for goal for most of the second half before Ellesmere Port went two points ahead. Essex Open desperately tried turning over the ball, but it was in vain as Ellesmere Port scored towards the end of the game to seal a third-place finish.

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Result
Ellesmere Port (10) Vs Essex Open (8)

 

Final
Oldham Owls and Little Sutton came into the final in red-hot form. Little Sutton was more consistent all-day due to Oldham's slow start in the group stages. The game began with both sides making errors, and you felt Little Sutton had the opportunity to put pressure on Oldham but failed to capitalise on their mistakes. Once Oldham found their rhythm, they quickly ran up a five-goal lead, and at half-time, Little Sutton had a mountain to climb. The second quarter saw Little Sutton play much better, but they couldn't get back into the game. Oldham was crowned the champions, and what a great end to a fantastic season for this talented side.

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Result
Oldham (8) Vs Little Sutton (2)

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MVP: Elisara Afoa-Peterson

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All-Stars Ella Wong (Hatfield), Alice Beecroft (Magic), Poppy Newton (Oldham Red), Allegra Atie (Poole NC), Arianna Barbaneagra (Essex Open),  Sade-Leah (AP Saints), Deborah Chiweshe (Oaksway), Holly Paterson (Braintree), Buki Adewale (Shan NC), Laila Cooper (Turnford NC), Emily Lane (Sutton Town), Isabel Onyebucki (Little Sutton), Eloise Smith (Oldham Owls), Ellie Locke (EP Netball)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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