OLDHAM REVENGE NETBALL CUP DEFEAT TO BECOME YNPL CHAMPIONS
The ENG Youth Netball Premier League finals, a pinnacle of the netball calendar, is now in its fourth season. This event not only showcases the league's growth but also the rising prominence of the competition, making it one of the No.1 events in the youth netball calendar.
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The ENG U12 YNPL Grand Finals featured a lineup of teams that were not just competitive but also the most talented we have ever had at this level. The teams had previously measured each other in our Netball Cup Nationals in March, so the finals promised to be a thrilling battle of repeat or revenge.
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Quarter Finals
The event started with Rivington taking on Sutton Town. A good start from both teams saw the game even early on, but Rivington took a three-goal lead going into the second quarter after an excellent end to the first eight minutes. Rivington continued to dominate, and there was a danger the game could get away from Sutton Town, but like Rivington in the first quarter, they finished the second strong. The game was still finely balanced, with Rivington three goals up in the third quarter. After Rivington were surprisingly eliminated from the U12 Netball Cuo, they wanted to avoid suffering the same fate in this event. Still, Sutton Town, in the third quarter, managed to bring the game level, and history was repeating itself. A pivotal moment at the Sutton Town center pass, when the score was 16-15 to Rivington, changed the course of the game. With Sutton Town looking to push to bring the score level, their centre pass was turned over, and Rivington smelt blood and raced into a five-point lead going into the final quarter. The final quarter saw Rivington see out the game and record a comfortable win.
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We had a repeat of the U12 Netball Cup finals, with Wodson taking on Leeds Athletic. Wodson's good start saw them take a slender two-point lead into the second quarter. The second quarter saw Wodson's dynamic duo, Millie and Sophia, go through the gears to give Wodson a four-point lead. Still, halfway through the quarter, Leeds started to turn the ball over and brought the game level with an excellent shot on the buzzer, making it 8-8 at halftime. They began like the second in the third quarter, with Wodson dominating the first four minutes. On this occasion, Leeds couldn't bring the game back level, and Wodson was three points up going into the final quarter. The final quarter saw the Netball Cup and League Champions use their experience to see out the game and, in the end, record a relatively comfortable win despite the scares they faced in the game.
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Turnford took on the Northern Champions Oldham in their quarter-final tie, and after a fantastic end to the season, they were in the mood for a bit of giant-killing. In the third quarter, the Hertfordshire-based side managed to go ahead, and it was entirely against the competition script. This made Oldham switch on, and from this point, they dominated the game and were relieved to win the tie comfortably. Ellesmere Port performed professionally to eliminate Starz in the other quarter-final tie. They kept Starz at arm's length throughout the game, were good for their win, and set up a semi-final tie against Oldham.
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Results
Rivington (27) Vs Sutton Town (22)
Wodson Park (21) Vs Leeds Athletic (14)
Oldham (28) Vs Turnford (19)
Ellesmere (26) Vs Starz NC (22)
Semi-Finals
Rivington took on Wodson Park in the first sem-final and started the game brightly to take a commanding lead into the second quarter. Wodson Park fought back in the second quarter and brought the game within three points before Rivington pulled away again at the back of the second quarter. At this point, the game was all Rivington, and with the incredible Emily Brookes dominating the mid-court, Wodson had no answers to the questions being presented to them by Rivington and had to settle for a 3rd/4th playoff position.
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Ellesmere Port needed a good start against an Oldham side desperate to revenge the disappointment of their defeat in the Netball Cup event a few months earlier. Ellesmere Port did begin the quarter positively, going goal for goal with the Northern Conference champions. Still, at the mid-point of the quarter, it all started to go wrong for Ellesmere Port due to Oldham playing some exceptional netball to take a commanding lead going into the second quarter. Ellesmere Port did show fantastic character even though their job seemed daunting. They pulled the game back within three points in the second quarter before Oldham pulled away again to go ahead by eight points. At this point, Oldham never looked back and saw the game out to set up a final with the runners-up from their league, Rivington.
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Results
Rivington NC (32) Vs Wodson Park (19)
Oldham NC (33) Vs Ellesmere Port (23)
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5th-8th Playoff Results
Leeds Athletic (25) Vs Sutton Town (24)
Starz NC (20) Vs Turnford NC (14)
3rd/4th Play-Off
Wodson Park bounced back from Rivington's defeat with an exceptional win against Ellesmere Port. A professional and ruthless performance saw them win the game without too much drama, and they claimed an official third-place position in the competition to cap off a very successful season.
Result
Wodson Park (25) Vs Ellesmere Port (19)
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7th-8th Playoff
Sutton Town (19) Vs Turnford NC (17)
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5th-6th Playoff
Leeds Athletic (28) Vs Starz NC (22)
Final
Oldham and Rivington have been in a constant battle for supremacy over the season, competing in both our league and cup competitions, with both obtaining wins against each other, but Oldham had the majority. At the start of the game, the Oldham girls challenged Rivington to stop their center passes in the pre-match interview, and this would be a significant factor in the opening quarter. Both teams started brightly, but Rivington failed to stop Oldham from always coming out on their center passes. The ball traveled too quickly to the Oldham attack, who gladly slotted the ball home to run up a decisive 9-4 lead. The second quarter carried on the same theme, with Oldham ruthlessly dominating the tempo and capitalizing on the Rivington mistakes. You must be careful when you poke a lion because it might wake up, and Oldham's performance throughout this competition gave off the impression they were in no mood to give any team a chance to fight back with a constant showing of excellent defensive play, mid-court attacks, and near-perfect shooting. In the end, Oldham won the game and was crowned the No.1 in the Youth Netball Premier League for the third time in the club's history.
Result
Oldham NC (30) Vs Rivington NC (20)
MVP
Emily Brookes (Rivington NC)
All-Stars
Georgia Cox (Ellesmere Port), Isobella Fu (Oldham NC), Reeney Reid (Sutton Town), Chloe Grover (Leeds Athletic), Amber Draper (Wodson Park), Sophie Pearce (Turnford NC), Emily Brookes (Rivington NC), Chiara Herbst (Starz NC)
