Middlesex County Netball Association

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1 Welcome to the latest edition of the Middlesex County Netball Association Newsletter. It s been an exciting year. We ve had our County s 75 th Anniversary Festival, Academy Netball Club won the National Premier League Division 1 (again!), Cumberland Netball Club gained promotion to National Premier League Division 2 (their 4 th promotion in as many seasons) and Hyde Park Netball Club won County Club of the Year following an outstanding season for all of their teams. For all the latest news on netball within the county you can now follow on Twitter, follow or visit the website If you have any news you would like us to include in the next Newsletter or on the website, please forward to Debbie Horn (County Publicity Officer) - debbie@middlesexnetball.co.uk Plate Winners: Falcons 2nds 250 was raised for Cancer Research from a raffle, with prizes donated by England Netball, Swakeleys Massage, Park Inn Hotel, Lindt Chocolate as well as all the teams that played in the festival. Thank you to all! MCNA s 75 th Anniversary 2011 was the 75 th year of Middlesex County Netball Association and what better way to celebrate with a netball festival, the event took place on Saturday 10 th September at Brunel University. County League We are over halfway through the season of the Middlesex County League, and are pleased to report that everything is running smoothly. The League Committee are continually trying to improve standards within the League, and to this end we have made a number of changes to the league this year. Cup Winners: Charville-Bennetts The festival was open to all teams, many that entered already played in the County League but it was good to see other teams from North London, Queensmead and Harlington leagues as well as the County U17 Academy team who did fantastic to qualify for the Cup competition. Both the Cup semi finals were taken to extra time: Charville-Bennetts beat Academy 11-9 and Hyde Park beat Poly 8-7. The final was the third time Charville- Bennetts and Hyde Park had played on the day and again Charville-Bennetts were victorious winning 6-4. The Plate semi finals saw Challoners beat Titans 10-6 and Falcons 2nds beat Old A s 3-1. The final also saw Challoners and Falcons 2nds playing for the third time of the day with Challoners winning on both previous occasions but Falcons 2nds managed to turn it around and were the winners this time 6-5. Firstly we are keen that we maintain a high standard of umpiring across all the divisions, so this year all umpires officiating County League matches are required to have achieved level 5.1 or above on the Multistage Fitness Test (bleep test). This has been successful and we hope players have seen the benefit in their matches. Umpires are wearing white to distinguish them from the players and spectators, reinforcing neutrality and professionalism in their appearance. Secondly, due to the dangerous nature of the surface we opted to move away from Broomfield Park, and have been using Ashmole School as our north London venue. The court surface is better and, as at Brunel, the premier division matches are now played inside. This suits the needs and level of play from this division as the feeder to the regional league. Finally, this year due to the level of interest from new teams we decided to expand the league and reinstate Division 3. Whilst we did not have enough to fill both the lower divisions, we are confident that we will be able to attract more teams to the league next season. 1

2 Regional Play Off Date for the winner of the County Premier Division: 13 th May 2012 (Venue TBC). Interdivisional Playoff date: (Date and venue - TBC). This play off is for promotion and relegation of the teams placing 7th and 2nd respectively in both the Prem & First and First & Second divisions and teams placing 5 th and 2 nd respectively in the Second & Third divisions. Please note this may also be the playoff date for new teams wishing to enter the league - dependant on the volume of interest. For further information on the County League - visit alternatively, contact Jo on jo@middlesexnetball.co.uk Latest results for the Season (as of 10/03): Premier Division: (r=unregistered player; u=ineligible umpire) Division 1: (r=unregistered player) Division 2: Division 3: (r=unreg player; s=no scorer; i=ineligible player; u=ineligible umpire) Season Highlights MCNA Club of the Year - Hyde Park Netball Club Hyde Park had a fantastic season. For the first time in their 15-year history Hyde Park A team has won promotion to the Regional League. They did this in some style by winning the County Premier League and then going on to win the Regional play offs. They also rounded off the season of success by being the undefeated winners of the Premier Division of the North London Netball League. The club is not only about the A team. The B and C teams also won the First Division and Second Division of the County League. This is a first for the County League with one club winning every division. The C team also won Division Two of the NLNL, gaining promotion to Division One. With the B team maintaining a healthy mid table position in the Premier Division. Hyde Park were pleased to be invited to play in the Poly League for the first time this season and acquitted themselves well, against some stiff opposition, and enjoyed some close fought matches. In addition, despite being the newcomers they were also tasked with hosting the annual rally, which despite the rain and wet courts, they did very successfully according to all who participated. Hyde Park Netball Club also has committed individuals supporting netball within Middlesex community. Juggling her playing commitments, her role as Club Secretary and of course her day job, Jo Evans has been chairperson of county league committee for past 2 years. Alongside her, Liz Anderton was the County Umpire Secretary for 2 years and can vouch for the amount of time and effort it takes to play such an integral role to the committee. In addition we also have club members supporting youth netball - Sharon Duah is currently assistant coach in the North London Satellite League. The club has a number of highly qualified umpires, with three umpires officiating in the regional league and one officiating in the national league most of which the club have developed from beginner level. These women juggle umpiring commitments with playing at a high level and contribute to every league, every week, sometimes twice a week, and often on behalf of other club umpires supporting and maintaining the competitive standard of the leagues. 1 A Award player 3 B Award players working towards their A Award 2 C Award players working toward their B Award 3 players currently working towards their C Award The club is very supportive of its umpires and continuously supports them during training sessions. All the umpires at Hyde Park are always generous with their time not only for umpiring their club s own commitments but they will always be the first umpires to offer to help other teams or fill in on the day if other umpires have not turned up. The club is also very committed to raising money for charity with four marathon runners, involvement in the longest netball match in the history and hosting tournament s to raise money for charity all this year, Hyde Park Netball Club is a group of women who cumulatively raised more than 15,000 for a number of charitable causes this year. In addition, Hyde Park helped the NLNL raise money for Breast Cancer Care in October 2010, receiving a special mention from the 2

3 League Committee for the club s collective effort to help the league raise over a 1000 for the charity. Overall the club is a fantastic club to be involved with, competitive but always friendly and welcoming to new players. Academy Netball Club National Premier League Last year s champions Academy from Middlesex are currently in 2 nd place after beating Team Bath Toucans in 3 rd place (43-41) in a closely fought game. Up to date results for all divisions of the Premier League can be found on the England Netball Website: L&SE Regional League Latest results below (as of 03/03) and information visit the L&SE Regional website: for more Division 1: Academy Netball Club were the National Premier League winners for the 2nd year running. They were also the London & South East Region Division 1 winners. Cumberland Netball Club Division 2: Cumberland's Premier Team gained promotion to National Prem 2 at the play offs in Loughborough last June. This was their 4 th promotion in as many years. Senior League Competition Superleague Surrey Storm are the London and South East Superleague team and are coached by England player Tamsin Greenway. Storm have got off to a great start with their new signing Pamela Cookey. Their next home game is against Northern Thunder on Monday 2 nd April this game will also be shown on Sky on Thursday 5 th April. Follow Surrey Storm on For more information about Surrey Storm visit: Academy NC currently have 9 players playing for Superleague teams this season: Surrey Storm - Natalie Seaton, Stef Bello, Kat Ainsworth. Hertfordshire Mavericks - Vicklyn Joseph, Naida Hutchinson, Alice Ewer, Camilla Buchanan and Danielle McFarlane. Loughborough Lightning - Rachel Mulloy. Other Middlesex players in Superleague teams: Sasha Corbin at Hertfordshire Mavericks and Kadeen Corbin at Team Bath. Back to Netball Back to Netball Campaign Back to Netball sessions aimed at women that have never played netball before or taken a break from playing the game are still popular in the county, with 30 sessions currently running. From these sessions an extra 808 new women have taken part since April There are now 3 Netball Development Community Coaches in Middlesex. These coaches are tasked with getting more women involved in netball within their respective boroughs; Sasha Corbin - Haringey Elaine Smith - Islington Natalie Massey - Brent As well as organising and running Back to Netball sessions, they are looking at new ways to get women involved in netball. Look out for NetFit, Dance your way Back to Netball, and Fabulous 40s sessions. England Netball have been successful in gaining additional Sport England money to fund a further two Netball Development Community Coaches in Middlesex; Nina Pasquale - Hammersmith and Ealing Rachael Purchase - Central London Back to Netball Festival Middlesex will be running a Back to Netball Festival on Friday 18th May 2012 at Reynolds Sports Centre, Gunnersbury Lane, Acton W3 8EY (close to Acton Town 3

4 Tube Station) from 6.30pm to 9.30pm/10pm. The Back to Netball festival is for ladies who are new into playing netball, haven t played netball in years or are currently part of a back to netball session. This is a brilliant opportunity for you to round up 7-12 of your friends, family or work colleagues and enjoy a fun filled summer evening of netball in a relaxed and social environment. Don t worry if its been a while since you have played, the back to netball festival is designed for ladies wanting to play netball because of their love of the game! The entry cost is per team (up to 12 players) and umpires will be provided. Closing date for entries is Friday 27st April More information will be available on the website ( or contact Rhiannon Smith, Middlesex Netball Development Co-ordinator: on or rhiannon.smith@englandnetball.co.uk... and it s Back To Netball with Charville Chicks! On Sunday morning the Charville Chicks got themselves out of bed, put on their kit and headed off to Botwell Green Sports Centre in Hayes to play a Back to Netball tournament with other teams from the borough. They weren t playing for a league place or a shot at the cup, they weren t trying to beat the champions or to set a league record for best scores, they were playing for something different. Whist we know that league success is important, particularly to skilled, established Netball teams, the Charville Chicks, like many of the other Back to Netball teams who have formed as a result of the borough-wide Back to Netball initiative, play to keep fit, to feel a sense of satisfaction and achievement and most of all to have fun and to once again feel the passion for a game they played many years ago. It is not uncommon for ladies to lose touch with sports. Whether it be work, family or any other commitments of life that gets in the way (and there are an abundance of them!), it is easy to feel that there s no time for a sporting interest. You keep promising yourself you ll get back to it but the longer you leave it the harder it is to keep your promise. That s where Back to Netball has really helped encourage ladies to get back in to this brilliant game. Let s face it, our gentlemen friends manage to get out for a game of five-a-side footy, a Saturday rugby match or Sunday morning round of golf so we know it can be done and Back to Netball gives us ladies the opportunity to stop talking about it and start doing it. It doesn t matter if you can t remember the rules, get tired after 5 minutes or don t know anyone there because all of that changes very quickly. The atmosphere is fun, friendly and relaxed. We all learn together and we all laugh together and at the same time, we get fit. During the tournament on Sunday the Charville Chicks, who had enough players to split into two teams, played the Falcons and the Pink Ladies in rotation. The games were only 7 minutes each way and a fun shoot out game gave us a break in the middle. The enthusiasm and passion was incredible and a lot of fun was had by all. Well done to the Falcons who were the tournament winners and equally well done to all the players who have made a positive step towards supporting their passion for the great game of Netball. Charville Chicks meet every Thursday between 7pm-8pm at Queensmead Sports Centre in South Ruislip and are trained by the talented coaches from Charville Netball Club. Charville Netball club train on Mondays from 5.30pm to 7pm, new members are always welcome. County News Goalden Globe for Steven Cotton England Netball s annual Goalden Globe Awards is one method in which we thank our valued and amazing volunteers for the hard work they perform throughout the year. This highly successful and prestigious event has previously enjoyed healthy sponsorship, which has allowed it to evolve into the quality event it has become. Steven Cotton collected the Netball Teacher Award for his work at Havelock Primary School in Ealing in Middlesex. Steven is a Level 2 Coach and a C Award Umpire who coaches 2 teams, he runs lunch time and after school sessions for both boys and girls and the school compete in the local High 5 league. Under Steven s leadership, Havelock Primary School were SSP Cluster Champions, Featherstone Champions, Southall Netball League winners, Ealing Champions, West London Bronze Medallists, London MANN festival Champions and the London Youth Games Gold Medallists. After picking up his gong a shell-shocked Steven said I was pretty nervous before hand and definitely very shocked to hear my name. I looked at everyone else and thought there was a woman nominated who had been volunteering since the year I was born, so I was very surprised and against such strong people it s a real honour. Every course I have been on I have been the only man, a lot of my friends are very jealous, which is quite daunting but it s just a great honour. Goalden Globes It's that time again when England Netball need your help to say a massive thank you to our huge volunteer workforce. The Goalden Globe Awards 2012 nominations are now open! 4

5 With eight different categories, there really is something for everyone. So, now it's down to you... who needs to be recognised in your area? The Categories are... Coach Award Inclusive Netball Volunteer Award Mary Bulloch Administrator Award Muriel McNally Award Netball Teacher Award Officials Award Outstanding Netball Club Award Young Netball Volunteer Award Nominations are also sought for the following awards which will be awarded nationally in September at the England Netball Goalden Globe Awards: England Netball National Long Service Award England Netball Rose Award Individuals may self-nominate for the England Netball Long Service Award. All nominations must be seconded by a County Association. The England Netball National Long Service Award will be presented to volunteers who have given selfless outstanding service for 25 years or more by way of administration, coaching or umpiring at one or more of the following levels county, regional, national and international. These nominations will be conferred by the national panel. The England Netball Rose Award will be presented to volunteers or organisations that have made an exceptional contribution to netball in any capacity within the last 12 months. This may encompass any aspect of the game and its administration. This will also be conferred by the national panel. Don't delay, nominate today! Deadline for nominations is Tuesday 10th April For nomination forms see the London and South East website: Date for the diary - National Golden Globe Awards - 22nd September. Young Leaders Week - Feb Half Term 2012 ran a Young Leaders week in February Half term, thanks to funding that they received from England Netball. During this week three young leaders courses were organised, a High 5 umpiring workshop in West London, and a Young Netball Organiser and Beginners umpire course in North London. These courses were aimed at individuals aged 13 to 18, interested in being involved in the volunteering side of netball. In total 60 young leaders from various schools and netball clubs attended the 3 courses. These young leaders will now use the umpiring and coaching skills that they learnt back at their schools, netball clubs and junior netball leagues. For example a number of the attendees on the Young Netball Organiser course held in North London have signed up to help with Barnet s High 5 primary netball competition which is due to run this month. Funding for Netball in London Nine organisations in Middlesex have applied and successfully received funding for netball in London, from a pot of money available for a range of organisations to develop netball. This includes Hillingdon Council who will be running some mums and daughters netball sessions, and Poly Netball Club who received money to set up a junior netball club based at Clapton Girls school, Hackney. Unfortunately, this scheme is now closed due to all funds being allocated. Primary School Grant Scheme Twelve Middlesex primary schools have received funding from London and South East Netball. The schools have used the grants (up to 200) for a number of different projects. This includes new equipment for an after school club and teacher High 5 training courses. Unfortunately, this scheme is now closed due to all funds being allocated. Club Development Grant This season, 36 Middlesex affiliated individuals have applied for and successfully received Middlesex Club Development grants. have set aside 5000, to support course costs for Middlesex clubs. For example it could support a Coach in completing their Level 2 coaching qualification or support an Umpire in gaining their B award, or support an individual in completing a first aid course. There is still money left in this fund for individuals affiliated to Middlesex to apply for. See for an application form. Talent ID and Selection Workshop MCNA are running a Talent ID and Selection workshop on; Tuesday 29 th May from 7pm to 9.30pm at Brunel University, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH. This workshop is aimed at teachers and coaches, and costs 15 for affiliated individuals and 25 for non-affiliated individuals to attend. The workshop will give attendees; Knowledge of the England Netball Talent Pathway A chance to practically observe and identify what standards and level of play and skill is required on each level of the talent pathway. Relevant knowledge to be able to nominate players for Satellite and County Academy. For more information, contact Rhiannon Smith, Middlesex Netball Development Co-ordinator: on or rhiannon.smith@englandnetball.co.uk Jo Lovatt In August 2011 we lost one of our counties most popular players, Jo Lovatt from Minchenden Netball Club, after she lost her brave battle with cancer. Jo was a big supporter of the North London League and a real positive influence generally umpiring / coaching and teaching netball. As a result, the North London League have adopted the Isabel Hospice as its charity of the year (this is where Jo spent her last days) and we are very proud to 5

6 say that we have already raised 1,340 in her memory, but we have more to do! Jo was an extremely popular and loved player who was held in high regard by all who play with her and the teams she umpired. She will be sorely missed. Lucie Whelan attends EN Young Leaders Course Last summer, EN ran a Young Leaders Course, Lesley Tischler (County Academy Head Coach) put forward several candidates. The course was over subscribed, but Lucie Whelan from Charville NC and ex Middlesex County Academy was offered a place, which she took up. Lucie has written a report of her time at the 4 day camp which Gary Burgess, Sue Hawkins and Emma Blackmore all tutored at. On Sunday 14 th August, a group of 150 youths ranging from years of age travelled to Bradfield College near Reading after their applications being selected out of hundred s for a England Netball Young Leaders Camp. The camp has been running annually over the previous four years and lasts for four days, this year it started on Sunday 14th and concluded on Wednesday 17th August. At the start of the Camp we young leaders were split into six groups, and each group was given a name of a city in which had previously hosted the Olympics, for instance Tokyo, Barcelona, Athens, Rome, Sydney and Moscow. The reason behind this was to concentrate on teamwork and communication skills but to do so in an approachable environment (and obviously to be as competitive as needed to win Teddy Management- a bear which everyone signed at the start of the camp!) Each group was given the flag of a country to have hosted the Olympics and would be known as this city throughout the camp. Talks, workshops and coaching sessions delivered from Sue Hawkins, Emma Blackmore and Gary Burgess taught us a lot about coaching, umpiring and trained us with fresh new warm up, drills, tactics and cool downs. The first activity was a Netball focused coaching session from a familiar face in the form of Emma Blackmore, Regional Excel Coach for London and the South East. This was aimed at testing out some fun, inventive games that we could take part in, but also go home and teach within our schools/ teams/clubs. A crazed hour and a half ensued with all sorts of mayhem spread over three courts with relentless energy being shown as leaders attempted all sorts of running drills and shooting games under the expert guidance of Emma. We left the session absolutely shattered and desperate for our water bottles, but somehow everybody scarpered for the lunch hall despite having no energy after the exhausting session! We were also lucky enough to have an appearance from England Netball s very own international umpire, Gary Burgess. Having taken charge of the Commonwealth Games and World Championships final, there was nobody better qualified to talk to us about umpiring than Gary. Utilising games as a way to get the rules affirmed, we begun with looking at distance and stepping in. Gary imparted his wisdom and gave some insight about how different international players attempt to bend the rules to their advantage, e.g. if they have a good lean, or tremendously long arms. We then moved on to an activity which was based on contest and contact. Suddenly balls were being thrust into the air and all manner of high jinks were breaking out with elbows, arms and shoulders flailing on court as the umpires had to make a choice as to how fair the challenge for the ball was. We ended the session with matches, and the people who didn t get a position umpired the games with Gary overseeing the progress and looking for strong, firm and direct decisions from those with the whistles. Footwork and contact were being regularly called as the group grew into the idea of controlling the game and making the calls. The session concluded with a question and answer round with Gary, and the hot topic was replaying or repossessing the ball. Luckily, Gary has pretty much seen everything in his time as a top level official and answered most if not all our queries! Breezers Run Race For Life Seven members from Breezers Netball Club - Chloe, Foxy, Chezza, Macca, Emma S, Alison and Emily have raised in the region of 1,300 (excluding gift aid) for Cancer Research following last June s Race for Life in Watford. This is a tremendous achievement for a very worthy cause and a great team effort all round. Cumberland NC cycle Lands End to John O Groats Cumberland Netball Club are always up for a challenge, so when the idea of cycling from Lands End to John O'Groats (908 miles) was proposed, committee members Georgina Partridge, Kirsty Smith, Laura Jane Brennan and Rose McCarter jumped at the opportunity. What could be better pre-season training than cycling the length of the country to test our physical and mental stamina to the limit! Bikes were purchased and the cycling pre-season started in November. Training rides were scheduled around 6

7 netball matches and our pedalling began. A friend joining us on the adventure has Diabetes so we decided to raise money and awareness for Diabetes UK. Eleven of us set off on the 23rd July with 3 support crew in total as we needed to eat every 25 miles to keep energised, consuming approximately 7,000 calories per day. We averaged approximately 100 miles a day over 10 days finding time for a fancy dress birthday party and some whiskey tasting. We were blessed with sunshine as we cycled through fantastic countryside including Okehampton, Bath, Shrewsbury, Oldham, Penrith, Kinross, Peebles and Aviemore. No amount of cycle training could have prepared us better than years of playing netball. At the end of the day, our whole challenge came down to teamwork. We had to work together to get everyone over the line and thanks to Netball we were fully equipped with the skills needed for the challenge! We gained so much from this brilliant adventure and we want to thank all the wonderful netballers who supported us along the way! A special thank you to all who sponsored our trip. Thus far the team have raised a fantastic 6,000 (including gift aid) for Diabetes UK. central venue, Grasshoppers Rugby Football Sports and Social Club, Macfarlane Lane, Syon Lane, Osterley, Middx TW7 5PN. This has meant that, over the years, many clubs find it difficult, if not impossible, to play in both Leagues. The Acton League is considering changing its playing dates. The suggestion is, we play on the "alternate" dates to Middlesex. If such a change were to take place, would you be interested in joining the Acton League? We would welcome all standards. If you would like more information or are interested in joining us next season please contact Rita Hebberd on or rita@hebberd.co.uk County Academy Coach running London Marathon Good Luck to Lesley Tischler who is running the London Marathon in April for charity Whizz-Kidz. Charville Youth storm West London Junior Netball League Charville Youth Netball Club's trophy cabinet is bulging after the club enjoyed a terrific season - with teams in all age groups excelling. The stars were the U13 side, the Challengers, who stormed to the West London Junior Netball League title by going through the season undefeated. Harlington Netball League Our annual versatility rally, where we had a very hot sunny day was won by Breakaways and runners-up were Shufflers. Over 360 was made for charity; this was split between two local charities (Heathrow Special Needs Farm & Harlington Autistics Society). Thanks to for the very generous grant to help start a Junior League this summer. We are hoping to set up age groups: Under 12 s, Under 14 s & Under 16 s. The games will be played on a Tuesday night with match start times between pm. See for further information or please contact us if you have any questions: brenda@harlingtonnetball.co.uk and shelly@harlingtonnetball.co.uk Acton Netball League The Acton Netball League, which has been in existence since 1962, is looking to expand. We currently play on the same date as the Middlesex County League at a The U16 Charville Chasers matched their younger clubmates by taking the league top spot, while the U14 Chargers were runnersup and the U13 Crystals, who fielded a very young side, finished fifth. There was also success in the WLJNL Tournament on May 8 as the U14s defeated Surrey Heath in the final, the U13s cruised to the title, the U16s were runners-up and the U12s took the bronze medal. Success was not restricted to the youth section as the seniors took the Queensmead League Premier Divison, while Charville Youths finished in second. 7

8 The club trains on Mondays at Queensmead Sports Centre, Victoria Road, Ruislip, from 5.30pm to 7pm. New members are welcome. See for more information. Charville NC Needs Your Support Charville Netball Club have the chance of receiving 5,000 but they need your help. If you happen to do your shopping in the Pavillions in Uxbridge you can help. If you spend 20 in The Pavillions, you get the chance to vote for Charville NC. All you need to do is take your receipt to The Ask me Point in the Pavillions and they will give you a PING PONG Ball which you can then put in the Charville NC pot, there are two other clubs who have also been selected. If anyone has a RewardMe Pavillion Card they will receive 2 votes for 20. There are prize draw incentives for shoppers to vote & also incentives for retailers to promote this aswell. Come September whichever club has the most ping pong balls in their pot gets 5,000. Celebrating Pink October in West London During the month of October, both the Middlesex County Academy and the West London Junior Netball League (WLJNL) participated in fundraising events to raise money for Cancer Research UK. The 2011/2012 intake of athletes at the Academy donned pink for their training session on Sunday 16 October, raising Meanwhile on Sunday 30 October, the WLJNL held a raffle, cake stall and bucket collection. With the help of players, coaches, umpires and parents the league was able to raise in total, which is being split between Cancer Research UK and the WLJNL. Volunteers Needed for the West London Junior Netball League Committee The West London Junior Netball are looking for volunteers for the below positions on the committee; League Secretary and Fundraising Co-ordinator. If you are are interested in either of these roles, or want further information, visit our website ( or contact Rhiannon (rhiannonh@englandnetball.co.uk) West London Junior Netball League Tournament The West London Junior Netball League are running a Netball Tournament on Sunday 20th May at Reynolds Sports Centre, W3 8EY. For existing WLJNL clubs the entry into this tournament is free and places will be held with a 20 returnable deposit per team. Cheques will not be cashed, and returned on the day unless a team does not turn up. We are looking at having the following divisions at the tournament, High 5, U12, U13, U14, U15, U16 (depending on team entries), and the tournament is open to all junior teams including those that are not in the WLJNL. For further information visit the website: ( or contact Rhiannon (rhiannonh@englandnetball.co.uk) North West London Versatility Tournament Queens NC invites you to a day of competitive fun with prizes for the winning teams and stand out players!! On Saturday 19th May 2012 ( ). At Whitmore High School, Porlock Avenue, Harrow HA2 0AD. Cost is refundable deposit. Teams must supply their own umpires. For information and application form please contact: Pam: pamo7@mac.com Rosemary: rosemary239@btinternet.com NetballRocks 2012 RugbyRocks launched in 2010 as a one day rugby sevens and music festival which saw 800 participants and 3000 spectators enjoy a day of sport, music and entertainment of the highest value. Netball made its debut at RugbyRocks 2011 making the event bigger and better. Now called NetballRocks, we hope to see even more teams taking part in The netball will take place on Saturday 26th May in Richmond, all players and officials are granted free admission to the RugbyRocks festival in the evening. Team entry of 10 players costs 150. Camping available. Visit their website ( for further information/entry details or contact Andy Ventris (andy@rugbyrocks7s.com). Blaze Netball Tournament Blaze Netball Club are hosting their annual netball tournament on Sunday 5th August at Brunel University, Uxbridge. There will be a Adults (women) competition with a Top Tier Cup, Lower Tier Cup and Back to Netball Cup. There will also be a junior competition element with a U14s Cup, U12s cup and High 5 cup. The cost to enter is 40 for an adult team and 24 for a junior team. See website ( for entry form or more information. Netball Tournament in Wembley New Life Netball Club are holding a netball tournament on Saturday 19th May The tournament will be held at Ark Academy, Forty Avenue, Wembley, Middlesex. HA9 9JR from 9:30 am 4:00 pm. The school is right next door to Wembley Park Tube Station (Met and Jubilee tube lines). 8

9 Talent Pathway National Talent League Congratulations to Temi Odanye from St Helens on selection for the Surrey Storm National Talent League squad. part of the match play themed session. The athletes eagerly took on board and applied Tamsin s first-hand knowledge of centre court play, feeding the circle and overall movement around court, providing Tamsin and the coaches with a display of great netball. L&SE Regional Academy Congratulations go to Temi Odanye (St Helens), Chloe Cheng (Grasshoppers), Monique Thompson (Academy) and Vicky Oyesola (Charville/Academy) who gained a place in the London and South East Regional Academy after attending trials in July U16s Regional League Academy and Falcons represented Middlesex in the U16s Regional League this season. Good Luck to both teams for the final game of the season. County Academy Players Head Coach, Lesley Tischler, is delighted to confirm the athletes named below were successful in gaining a place in the Middlesex County Academy Programme 2011/12: Abbi Campling Abbie Spiegelhalter Adina Smith Amina Otti Anna Grace Linton Anna Groves Anna Hage Anna Levi Anna Melissa Bishop Becky Young Charlotte Pattison-Hudd Chevaz Clarke Chloe Cheng Chloe Thompson Claudia Richardson Courtney Blake Deke Adebambo Elle Valentine Francesca Cadogan Grace Bolaji Hannah Ege Isabel Kotler Jacqueline Bramley Joycelyn Longdon Lauren Cole Lucy Hall Martine Wouaba Megan Christy Molly Costello Monique Thompson Nonye Irukwu Olivia Bertolotti Patricia Mbata Pooja Gupta Roshana Williams Rumer Ramsey Tamarakile Koroye-Crooks Tatiana Eldridge Theodora Spyrou Tyrell Watson Vicky Oyesola Vicky, Monique and Temi have all been selected to trial for their various age groups at National Screening on the 25 th March. Tamsin Greenway Whips Up a Storm The athletes and coaches at the Middlesex U17 County Academy were treated to a special appearance by Tamsin Greenway on Sunday 26 February. The England International and Surrey Storm player-coach took time out of her busy schedule to watch and coach Everyone at the County Academy would like to express their thanks to Tamsin and hope to have her visit again. Satellite Academy Players These are the successful athletes who gained a place in the Middlesex County Netball Satellite Academies this year 2011/12. West London Academy: Name School/club Aimee Paul Aimee van der Merwe LEH / Whitton Beatrice Everett St Helens / Charville Camille Harrison Godolphin & Latymer / Richmond Ravers Chelsea Bowes Queensmead / Charville Elish O Grady Haydon / Charville Emily Bahari-Modaresi Heathfield Emma Vren Orleans Park Hannah Petheram St Pauls Harneesh K Lall Douay Martyrs / Charville Issy Brophy Sacred Heart / Grasshoppers Josiane Pozi Drayton Manor Katie Jane Robson Vyners Lauren Wilkinson Bishop Ramsey / Charville Liliana Bertolotti LEH / Whitton Lois Goswell Bishop Ramsey / Charville Lydia Miller LEH Maddie Dale Drayton Manor Megan Goodman Bishop Ramsey / Charville Megan Thomas Drayton Manor Miranda Fearon Heathfield / Academy Kittens Molly Chambers St Pauls Molly Thompson-Smith Lady Margaret / Tiffin Natasha Whitham Godolphin & Latymer Philippa Fleming St Pauls Seriya Vao Drayton Manor Sophie Rogers LEH Tiana Lee Heathfield Trina Cassie Drayton Manor North London Academy: Name School/club Anna Barber Becky Arnull Highlands / Oakwood Caitlin James St Annes Efe Akande Grange Park Prep / Oakwood Elena Daby Southgate / Palmers Green Eloise Coyne Dame Alice Owens / Palmers Green Emily Hoban Latymer / Essex Open Eniola Shittu St Thomas More Eulalia Masterton Channing / Oakwood Fllanza Rexhepi Mossbourne Georgia Allen Grace Rodgers Ashmole / Minchenden 9

10 Isabel Lewis Isatou Kanyi Janai Wilson Lily Kelly Lola Katz Roberts Lucy Carter Maia Fergus-O'Grady Maisie Ward Milli Lloyd Olivia Eastwood-Gray Olivia Gibson Olivia Gidman Rachel Crampton Scarlet Katz Roberts Sophie Tingle Thea Augustidis South Hampstead High City Academy Mossbourne Wood / Minchenden Wood / Minchenden North Bridge House / Palmers Green Ashmole Belmont City Academy / Britannia Youth Palmers Green High / Oakwood / Oakwood Belmont Belmont Satellite and County Academy Trials County Academy Trials for girls currently in years 10 and 11 are due to take place at Brunel University on Sunday 27th May Satellite Academy Trials for girls currently in years 7, 8 and 9 are due to take place at Ashmole Academy on Sunday 17 th June 2012 and Brunel University on Sunday 24 th June For application forms and more information see schools section. U12 Quarter finals LEH bt SHHS 7-0 Latymer Upper bt G&L 4-3 NLCS bt St Augustine's 7-3 SPGS bt Waldegrave 6-2 Semi finals LEH bt Latymer Upper 5-3 SPGS bt NLCS 12-2 Final LEH bt SPGS 9-3 Congratulations to SPGS and LEH Sally Essex, Schools Chair National Schools Tournament - County Round Well done to all the teams who competed on Saturday 10th December in the County Round of the National Schools Tournament. Congratulations to the following schools who represented Middlesex in the Regional round on Sunday 29th January, unfortunately none of the teams qualified for the National Finals in March. Winners of the National Schools County Round: U19 St Helens and Lady Eleanor Holles U16 City of London Girls and Lady Eleanor Holles U14 Godolphin & Latymer and St Paul s Middlesex Schools Schools results for : Prelim Tournaments - 12th and 26th November 2011 A big thank you to LEH and NLCS for hosting, to NLCS, SHHS and Frankie Cadogan for running the tables, and last but not least to Jenny Harrold, Brenda Horn and Debbie Horn. Congratulations to the following teams that qualified and participating in the finals that will take place on Saturday 24th March at LEH, Hampton: U19 St Helens, LEH, Vyners, St Benedicts, SPGS, CLGS, U16 CLGS, SPGS, SHHS, LEH, Godolphin & Latymer, Vyners U15 LEH, Godolphin & Latymer, SPGS, SHHS, CLGS, St Helen's U14 Godolphin & Latymer, SPGS, LEH, SHHS, NLCS, U12/U13 Tournament - 6 th March 2012 A massive thank you to the following - Rhiannon and Jenny for running the event, to Debbie for the schedule, to all the staff at LEH for hosting and last but not least to the staff at Godolphin for staying on to umpire the finals. Results as follows: U13 Quarter finals LEH bt SHHS 8-5 G&L bt Mossbourne 6-1 St Benedict's bt 6-4 SPGS bt St Helen's 6-3 Semi finals LEH bt St Benedict's 10-5 SPGS bt G&L 8-4 Final SPGS bt LEH 5-3 City of London Girls U16 Winners Umpiring Umpire Mentors A group of volunteers from the county have undertaken the necessary training to become an umpire mentor. The list of official umpire mentors active within the County are: Amber Derrien (nee Buchan), Annie McKenna, Jennie Thompson (nee Northcott), Kim North, Lucy Mitchell Rachel Zilwood and Debra Stein. For the Umpiring Mentor Form, visit umpiring section. Umpiring Courses B Award Course on Sunday 22nd April at Lampton Sports Centre Beginners Award Course on various dates and locations Visit umpiring section for further information on the above courses. Umpiring Passes The following Middlesex umpires passed the following awards. Congratulations to you all on your fantastic achievements. 10

11 A Award Umpiring Zoey-Monique Dowell (Feb 2012) Julia Mark pictured (Jan 2012) Lisa Sumpter (April 2011) Jean See (April 2011) A Award written paper The following passed with A grades in November 2011: Liz Anderton Shona Button Annie Mckenna Sophie Scott Debra Stein B Award Umpiring Marnie Wills C Award Umpiring Emma Bossom Yvonne Danaher Leigh Freeman Emma Griffin Claire Kean From season: Sue Slade-Williams Amelda Nelson Joanne Smith Jacqueline Bramley Joanne Taylor Fiona Addison Claire Hill Gillian Fisher Sharanjit Gulati Coaching Coaching workshops There are a number of coaching courses and workshops coming up over the next couple of months; UKCC Level 1-9th, 10th June & 8th July at Middlesex University UKCC Level 2-15th & 16th September, 13th & 14th October &11th Nov at Middlesex University. 29th May - Talent identification and Selection workshop at Brunel University, Uxbridge. Date for the diary: Middlesex Coaching Conference 23rd June at Brunel University, Uxbridge. More information to follow shortly. Coaching Mentoring If you are interested in becoming a coach and would like some mentoring, contact Terry Tilbury (terry@middlesexnetball.co.uk) for further information. Coaching Opportunities There are a number of paid coaching opportunities on the Middlesex website, with a number of schools looking for coaches. See the coaching section for a full list of opportunities. Old Actonians Looking For A Coach Old Actonians Netball Club is looking for a coach to take on responsibility for our top two teams from September We are a friendly club consisting of four teams that play in the Middlesex County and Kingston leagues. Our top team is aiming to challenge for a place in the London & South East Regional League. We are looking for a coach that is available to lead our weekly training session that takes place from , usually on a Tuesday evening. Ideally we would also like the coach to attend Saturday matches when possible. If you are interested in the position as a permanent role, or if you might be interested in taking some one-off sessions or workshops for the club, please contact Annie Shimmin on or annie1shim@hotmail.com Club Action Planning Scheme (CAPS) CAPS helps Netball clubs function in the most efficient way, with least long-term hassle. It is directly linked to Sport England s Clubmark scheme and it s all about good practice in the development of players, coaches and umpires at all levels. CAPS takes accepted sports development ideas and makes them flexible enough to fit in with your club s current activities: YOUR needs, YOUR goals and YOUR values. It s not just about paperwork and filling in forms. In fact, most clubs find that the CAPS process highlights all the good development work that they are already doing. This clarifies roles and gives help and positive encouragement to new volunteers those who might usually hesitate before coming forward. In today s society, CAPS offers a way of maximising SAFE and CHILD-FRIENDLY activities. CAPS Clubs within the County include: Silver Accredited Bronze Accredited CAPS Registered Academy NC Charville NC Cumberland NC Minchenden NC Palmers Green NC Pink Ladies NC Britannia Royals NC Blaze NC Falcons NC Grasshoppers NC Oakwood NC Troy NC For more information or to register for CAPS contact Rhiannon Smith, Middlesex Netball Development Coordinator: on or rhiannon.smith@englandnetball.co.uk 11

12 Chairman s Report Netball in Middlesex continues to thrive thanks to the enthusiasm and professionalism of your Committee brilliantly supported by our County Development Coordinator, Rhiannon Smith (congratulations on her marriage last Autumn!). On behalf of the County I thank Rhiannon for her contribution to the increasingly diverse activities that are currently available to Middlesex netballers. Middlesex, like London & South East Region, do not always slavishly follow England Netball s lead but Rhiannon continues to prove herself to be a Middlesex person! Once again the Schools Tournaments were well supported and completed thanks to Sally Essex, the Schools Committee and the numerous umpires who turn out to help, releasing the PE Staff to concentrate on the play! Umpiring continues to forge ahead under the new leadership of Rachel Zillwood, who took over from Liz Anderton in June, and the support of Amber Derrien. Mentoring has been going well resulting in several B- award passes and A-award theory successes. Pro-action in the application and organisation of bleep tests puts Middlesex umpiring ahead of the game! All of this produces a heavy work load for the volunteers so if you are progressing up the ladder and are willing to give a little back, let Rachel know! The County League Premier Division has been moved indoors, ensuring that games can always be played and producing faster, more challenging play a better foretaste of National Competition. The League requirement for pre- and mid-season bleep testing has come as a bit of a shock to some umpires but most have risen to the challenge and this can only be good for the standard of both umpiring and play. Our Academy and Satellites continue to run well thanks to our dedicated coaches and their assistants. England Netball have acknowledge that some form of match play is needed for these groups and has recommended a format. The Region has chosen not to follow the guidelines entirely but will be holding a Festival Tournament (we cannot call it a TALENT Festival although that is what it is!) in the Spring. The website is now well established thanks to Debbie Horn. It is easy to navigate and offers plenty of information. However, Debbie struggles with the Newsletter which we try to issue twice a year. It would be good if Clubs and Schools could contribute, there must be some good stories about!!!! My personal thanks to my fellow committee members and the numerous volunteers across the County for all their hard work and support for netball in Middlesex. The standard remains high, indicated by the fact that teams are successfully progressing through the County League into the Regional League and on to National Competition and umpires are progressing upwards too. This all happens because of the commitment of players, coaches, umpires, leagues, schools and parents too thank you all for your support. Enjoy the rest of the season. Jenny Harrold The Committee OFFICERS OF THE COUNTY 2011/2012 PRESIDENT * Miss Mary Beardwood VICE PRESIDENTS * CHAIRPERSON SECRETARY TREASURER (including schools) & AFFILIATIONS SCHOOLS REPRESENTATIVE * UMPIRING SECRETARY COACHING SECRETARY COUNTY LEAGUE SECRETARY LEAGUES REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICITY OFFICER WELFARE OFFICER COUNTY DEVELOPMENT OFFICER * * Not elected positions at AGM Mrs M Bentley, Mr T Bentley, Mrs V Churchman, Mrs P Dye, Mrs M Hyam, Mrs Leggett, Mrs C Loftis, Mrs B Maycox Mrs Jenny Harrold jenny@middlesexnetball.co.uk Mrs Amber Derrien amber@middlesexnetball.co.uk Mrs Brenda Horn brenda@middlesexnetball.co.uk Mrs Sally Essex sally@middlesexnetball.co.uk Ms Rachel Zillwood rachel@middlesexnetball.co.uk Mrs Terry Tilbury terry@middlesexnetball.co.uk Ms Jo Evans jo@middlesexnetball.co.uk Mrs Shelly Williams shelly@middlesexnetball.co.uk Ms Debbie Horn debbie@middlesexnetball.co.uk Ms Sara Leyshon sara@middlesexnetball.co.uk Mrs Rhiannon Smith rhiannon.smith@englandnetball.co.uk Elections are held at the Annual General Meeting, the next meeting will take place on Thursday 21 June 2012 venue to be confirmed. The role descriptions, nomination form, agenda and last years minutes are available on the county website click on About Us. The take up on the Club and League Grant Schemes has been good and the County is pleased to be able to help. It must be remembered, however, that funds are not limitless and the County Committee will take a view each Financial Year as to the level of funding to be made available. 12