Poole NC won the 2020 ENG U12 Netball Cup after they defeated Turnford NC 11-6 in the final. The team from Dorset became the first club outside our northern events to lift an ENG Netball Cup trophy after an incredible performance through-out our regional and national competitions which showcased their ability to stay calm and composed in a competition designed to create an unforgiving environment for the teams competing.

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This event was highly anticipated due to the success of the last u12 competition which was dominated by Tameside NC back in 2019. With the northern teams winning all our netball cup events to date this was the first event which there was a real chance that cycle could be broken due to the quality of all the teams competing. With 300 spectators in attendance, they were treated to a live performance from Heshima Thompson which set us up for an incredible afternoon of netball.

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Group A

An explosive start to this group which saw eastern champions Turnford take on northern champions DNA U12 Red. Turnford got off to the better start and took a 5-2 lead at the halfway mark. DNA who looked nervous managed to show why they were our northern champions and clawed their way back into the game, drawing 5-5. Matrix NC in the other game won against Ribble Valley NC 4-2.

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DNA was now under pressure to pick up a win and was up against Matrix next. A game which could have gone either way was won by DNA 4-3 which gave them the confidence going forward to attack the rest of the group. Turnford NC like DNA was desperate for a win and AP Saints NC had the unfortunate situation of trying to tame Turnford, who won the tie 9-2.

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This group was exceptionally close and that was proven when we witnessed one of the shocks of the round after Ribble Valley NC defeated Turnford NC 6-3, which was the first time Turnford NC had lost a group game at this U12 competition. 

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As we approached the final game in the group DNA finished strong and recorded three wins out of four. Turnford NC came second after a 6-2 win against Matrix NC who just managed to secure a qualifying spot after not showing the form of their opening game to finish in 4th. AP Saints NC pushed hard in their final game against Ribble Valley NC to potentially force themselves into a qualifying spot but was just defeated 4-3. 

 

Group A

Ribble Valley NC 2 Vs Matrix NC 4

Turnford NC 5 Vs DNA U12 Red 5

Turnford NC 9 Vs AP Saints NC 2

DNA U12 Red 4 Vs Matrix NC 3

Turnford NC 3 Vs Ribble Valley NC 6

DNA U12 Red 6 Vs AP Saints NC 2

Matrix NC 3 Vs AP Saints NC 3

DNA U12 Red 8 vs Ribble Valley NC 6

Turnford NC 6 Vs Matrix NC 2

AP Saints NC 3 Vs Ribble Valley NC 4

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Standings

1st: DNA U12 Red W 3 D 0 L 1 GF 23 GA 16 PTS 7

2nd: Turnford NC W 2 D 1 L 1 GF 23 GA 15 PTS 5

3rd: Ribble Valley NC W 2 D 0 L 2 GF 18 GA 18 PTS 4

4th: Matrix NC  W 1 D 1 L 2 GF 12 GA 15 PTS 3

5th: AP Saints NC W 0 D 1 L 3 GF 10 GA 24 PTS 1

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Group B

Champions Tameside NC got this group underway against Saffron Hawks NC. Getting to this event was an achievement for Tameside because of the squad only actively training together for the past eight weeks and they put up a great fight against Hawks who took the win 6-5. Ellesmere Port Youth came with a huge support network did not disappoint them after they overcame Sutton Town NC 3-0 in their opening game.

 

In the next round of games, the highly fancied TTNC Griffins took to the court for their first game and it was against the champions Tameside. After an incredible performance at our Central Finals, TTNC Griffins were fully expected to overcome Tameside, but what Tameside lacked in experience they made up with competitive spirit and TTNC Griffins never really got to grips with the intensity of the game and lost 7-6. 

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Ellesmere Port Youth was in fine form thorough-out the competition and they never put a foot wrong in front of their incredible crowd and won all their games impressively to top the group. Saffron Hawks NC were equally as impressive recorded three wins out of four to place second and qualify for the quarter-finals as the best runner up.

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The final group placings were to be decided by Tameside, Sutton Town and TTNC Griffins. As were entered the last games Tameside and Sutton Town were in a strong position to qualify due to winning one game with TTNC Griffins having lost all three going into their final game against Sutton Town.  TTNC Griffins started slowly against Sutton Town who took an early lead and it was looking like one of the competition favourites would be exiting the event early. TTNC Griffins though found the character to fight for their position in the event and slowly chipped away at Sutton Town NC who faded into the second half of the tie allowing TTNC Griffins to secure the win 7-4 and their place in the knock-outs at the expense of Sutton Town NC.

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Scores:

Tameside NC 5 Vs Saffron Hawks NC 6

Sutton Town NC 0 Vs Ellesmere Port Youth 3

TTNC Griffins NC 6 Vs Tameside NC 7

Ellesmere Port Youth 6 Vs Saffron Hawks NC 3

TTNC Griffins NC 5 Vs Saffron Hawks NC 8

Sutton Town NC 8 Vs Tameside NC 5

Ellesmere Port Youth 6 Vs TTNC Griffins 1

Sutton Town NC 1 Vs Saffron Hawks NC 7

Tameside NC 2 Vs Ellesmere Port Youth 7

Sutton Town NC 4 Vs TTNC Griffins 7

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Standings

1st: Ellesmere Port Youth W 4 D 0 L 0 GF 22 GA 6 PTS 8

2nd: Saffron Hawks NC W 3 D 0 L 1 GF 24 GA 17 PTS 6

3rd: TTNC Griffins W 1 D 0 L 3 GF 19 GA 25 PTS 2

4th: Tameside NC W 1 D 0 L 3 GF 19 GA 27 PTS 2

5th: Sutton Town NC W 1 D 0 L 3 GF 13 GA 22 PTS 2

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Group C

Wodson Park took on Hatfield in the opening game of this group and it was a close affair with Hatfield narrowly beating the current top 8 team from the 2019 event 5-4. Parkside NC played Royals in their opening fixture and was looking to improve from the previous 2019 event where they failed to get out of the group stages and it showed after they won 3-1 against the southern regional finalists.

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The next round of fixtures saw one of the competition favourites enter proceedings. Poole NC has built up quite a reputation within the u12 netball world and all eyes were on them to see if they had what it took to win this national event. In their first game, they took on Royals who couldn't of had a tougher test straight after losing their opening game and even though Poole ran out 5-2 winners it was a good performance from the Royals who knew they still had much to offer in this competition.

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Poole went from strength in the group winning the next three games with their toughest test being against Hatfield NC in their final game of the group winning 7-4. Hatfield and Parkside were fighting for the runners-up spot in the group and they played a superb game against each other which was won by Parkside 6-5. 

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With Royals grabbing their first win over Wodson Park it meant Wodson needed to win their final game of the group to potentially qualify for the knock-outs. They were up against a Parkside team that was pushing for a runner up spot and even though they performed superbly they couldn't avoid a defeat which meant they were out of the competition. 

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Scores:

Wodson Park NC 4 Vs Hatfield NC 5

Parkside NC 3 Vs Royals NC 1

Poole NC 5 Vs Royals NC 2

Hatfield NC 5 Vs Parkside NC 6

Parkside NC 2 Vs Poole NC 8

Royals NC 4 Vs Wodson Park NC 2

Royals NC 4 Vs Hatfield NC 6

Wodson Park NC 0 Vs Poole NC 12

Parkside NC 6 Vs Wodson Park NC 4

Hatfield NC 4 Vs Poole NC 7

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Standings

1st: Poole NC W 3 D 0 L 1 GF 32 GA 8 PTS 8

2nd: Parkside NC W 3 D 0 L 1 GF 17 GA 19 PTS 6

3rd: Hatfield NC  W 2 D 0 L 2 GF 20 GA 21  PTS 4

4th: Royals NC W 1 D 0 L 3 GF 19 GA 16 PTS 2

5th: Wodson Park NC W 0 D 0 L 0 GF 11 GA 27 PTS 0

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Qualification Rankings:

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Best Group Winner: Poole NC

2nd Best Group Winner: Ellesmere Port Youth

3rd Best Group Winner: DNA U12 Red

Best Group Runner Up: Saffron Hawks NC

2nd Best Group Runner Up: Parkside NC 

3rd Best Group Runner Up: Turnford NC

Best Group 3rd Place: Hatfield NC

2nd Best Group 3rd Place: Ribble Valley NC

3rd Best Group 3rd Place: TTNC Griffins

Best Group 4th Place: Matrix NC

2nd Best 4th Place: Tameside NC

3rd Best 4th Place: Royals NC

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Quarter-Finals Play-offs

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Parkside NC (6) Vs Royals NC (9): Parkside NC was rewarded for their high position in the group stages and were placed against the so-called worst qualified team in this round of fixtures. What gave Parkside the edge also was that they had already beaten Royals NC 3-1 in the group stages already so were confident of repeating that result in this round. As the tie got underway Royals had a fearless attitude which gave them the edge and Parkside looked vulnerable through-out. With Parkside threatening to get back into the tie Royals always responded and managed to create the events first upset winning 9-6.

 

Turnford NC (17) Vs Tameside NC (3): A repeat fixture of the 2019 final but this time happening alot earlier than the previous meeting. Turnford this time got revenge on Tameside who had done well to get to this point in the event.

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Hatfield NC (6) Vs Matrix NC (8): Due to Group A being so competitive it was inevitable that a top-seeded team like Hatfield would have to face a difficult team in this round. A fantastic game saw two amazing teams go head to head in an encounter that was always going to settled by small margins. In the end, Matrix got the win and a place in the quarter-finals. 

 

Ribble Valley NC (10) Vs TTNC Griffins (4): After narrowly scraping into this round TTNC Griffins were rewarded with a game against Ribble Valley. The central champions were hoping to build upon their previous win in what was an unexpected performance in the group stages but came up against a solid and professional Ribble Valley side who dominated the tie from start to finish with clinical attacking play.

 

Quarter-Finals

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Saffron Hawks NC (9) Vs Royals NC (6): Saffron Hawks NC were in fine form leading into this game but were aware that Royals had just pulled off a good win against a decent Hatfield side. Like most games in these rounds, the game was end to end with both teams cancelling each other out. At the back end of the second half Saffron Hawks NC finally found a little more to pull away from Royals and reach the semi-finals.

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DNA U12 Red (5) Vs Turnford NC (7): A heavyweight clash between two of the competitions best teams. Both teams would not have been happy with this draw in the quarter-finals but based on the results of the groups and the previous knock-out out rounds they both had to focus and be ready for the challenge ahead. Like the group stage game between the two teams, this was another tense affair with both teams knowing a small mistake could give the incentive to the other team. Turnford though got the crucial turnovers which gave them the win and a place in the semi-finals.

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Ellesmere Port Youth (4) Vs Matrix NC (5): Matrix NC overcame Hatfield in the earlier round which set them up well for this test against a strong Ellesmere Port Youth side who had won every game leading into this. Another fantastic game which was going to be settled by small margins and in the final moments with Matrix leading by one Ellesmere Port had the chance to draw the tie and take it into extra time. Unfortunately, the shot by Ellesmere Port was missed to the relief of the Matrix players and support.

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Poole NC (8) Vs Ribble Valley NC (4): If Ribble Valley was going to win this competition they had to to do it the hard way facing Poole NC in this round. This was the 4th regional champion they had played at this event so far and they got off to a great start and stayed with the highly fancied side from Dorset. As the game wore on though Poole's defence shut down the Ribble Valley attacks and their ruthless shooters were in fine form to send them into the next round.

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Semi-Finals

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Saffron Hawks NC (1) VS Poole NC (9): Saffron Hawks NC had done so well to get to this stage came un-stuck against Poole NC in this round. As usual Poole's defence was amazing in shutting down attacks and they were comfortable winners and through to the final.

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Turnford NC (7) Vs Matrix NC (4): The national finalists from the 2019 event were one game away from another final appearance. Coached by Sam Bird of London Pulse Turnford NC derailed Matrix NC who were more than capable of winning this tie but just outmuscled in this round.

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3rd/4th Play-Off

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Matrix NC (7) Vs Saffron Hawks NC (5): With both teams have exceptional tournaments it would be hard to see one of these sides go away without a medal. With both teams so evenly matched it was going to be a great game and it didn't disappoint with both sets of teams showing excellent patterns of play and competitive spirit to end their U12 ENG Netball Cup journeys. Matrix though just managed to overcome Saffron Hawks NC to finish 3rd.

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Final

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Turnford NC (6) Vs Poole NC (11): The question on everyone's mind was whether Turnford NC could overcome Poole NC who were going for their 14th straight win at this event. The early proceedings looked promising for Turnford who managed to come back from 2-0 down to draw the tie 2-2. A massive opportunity then was presented to them when they forced a turnover and they had the chance to go one up, but unfortunately wasn't taken by them. After this Poole NC never looked back and deservedly became the 2020 ENG U12 Netball Cup National Champion

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5th-8th Play-Offs

Royals NC 6 Vs Ribble Valley NC 7

DNA U12 Red 8 Vs Ellesmere Port Youth 7

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5th Vs 6th

Ribble Valley NC 5 Vs DNA U12 Red 4

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7th Vs 8th

Ellesmere Port Youth 2 Vs Royals NC 3

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Summary

Over forty-five teams had entered this national event and what a great way to end the 2020 competition. The standard of all teams competing was exceptional and it showed how effective competition is in bringing the best out of athletes and also showing players and coaches how they need to approve going forward. Massive thank you to all the supporters who came on the day, your enthusiasm was incredible and you should be proud of the platform you offered your child and their team.

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Lastly, ENG would like to say well done to our MVP of the tournament Lucia Toomer from Poole NC. One of the key skills of competing in a high intense environment is the ability to stay calm and composed. Lucia's ability to do this was frightening and everytime she was given the opportunity to score she never missed.

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Awards

Winner: Poole NC

Runner Up: Turnford NC

3rd: Matrix NC

Tournament MVP: Lucia Toomer (Poole NC)