Blizzards

U10S Netta Icicles

Icicles finished their season with an excellent record of 10 wins and 2 losses. For many Icicles players, this is their first competitive netball season, and it has been a joy to watch their teamwork, passing, shooting and intercepting develop over the weeks.

The final league weekend saw the welcome return of Coach Queen B, and the team seeking to come back from two consecutive losses. Focused and competitive, Icicles bounced back to take their final two matches of the season 7-2 and 7-3. Well played Icicles! A big thank you to all our coaches - Adele, Queen B and Queen H! Icicles, we can’t wait to see you back on court for the second season!

Jo Charter

U12S Blizzards

Well what a season for the Blizzards!

With a number of the girls being new to netball, finishing the season in third spot for the U12 B group was a fantastic achievement. The girls really improved throughout the season resulting in a 7-0 win over the Sai Kung Sealions for the Bronze medal. They had been focusing on fast passes through the centre court at training which was evident in the game where they outpaced and outshot the competition. The great finish to the season was a little bitter-sweet as the girls farewelled Evie and Coach Maeve who are both returning to Australia.

The team are very much looking forward to continuing their success with the Spring season just around the corner.

Deanne Hurley

U12S Snowstorms

After going undefeated, Snowstorms ended the Autumn season with a big 13-6 win against SKS Penguins to win our pool! As a completely new team, I’ve been super impressed by how the girls have come together and learned how to work together over the course of the Autumn season. We’ve been working hard at training on set plays, driving to the ball and hands over defence without obstructing, and it was amazing to see all of these skills in play during the semi-finals and finals. In our semi-final game against HKCC Eagles, the girls gave all their effort for a fantastic 37-4 win. In both games, we had lovely shooting from Valerie, Scarlett and Isabella, beautiful feeds into the circle from Elsie, Marlee and Pippa, suffocating defence from Lucy, Kathleen and Eloisa, and amazing versatility from Camille who played everything from GK to WA. It was great to end the season with gold medals and a trophy, and we’re looking forward to the Spring season!

Aqru Chan

U12S Lightning

Undefeated all season, Lightning topped their league and headed into the finals full of confidence. With a comfortable 23-4 win over HKCC Ravens in the semi, Lightning faced arch rivals SCAA Flare in the final. With Flare looking for revenge for their league defeat, Lightning looked uncharacteristically nervous. A tense and scrappy game saw Lightning down 7-5 at halftime with everything still to play for, but the experienced (and tall!) Flare stepped up a gear in the third quarter to lead 14-8, going into the final quarter. Despite valiant efforts across the court, the final score was 19-14.

Lightning should be very proud of their season and their runner up medals. With the full squad turning up every week, the girls have both played for each other and roared each other on. A massive thank you to Coach Rachael for taking them to the finals. We can’t wait to see more of that Lightning spirit in the second season! Go Lightning!

Jo Charter

U14S Rainstorms

What a season the Rainstorms have had - their fair share of storms for sure.

Wednesday night practice has been productive every week with passing a focus and teamwork. Resilience has been a key this season. Whatever U14 team they met on the court, the Rainstorms gave it their all. Getting to the final this week and playing SCAA Starts was going to be a tough one. Once again great attitude from the team pulled them through and we only lost by 2 goals. Huge thanks to coach Maeve who is leaving for Australia at the end of December. All the families wish her well in her new adventures.

Nia Sexton

U14S Thunder

It’s finals day, the sun was shining, and the humidity and temperature were low. A perfect day to face our toughest rivals. Thunder came up against the confident Hong Kong Cricket Club Cranes team who were the only team to have beaten us this campaign! Team Thunder was up for the challenge though and they fought hard throughout. There was flowing teamwork, interceptions and solid shooting which resulted in a close first half and had the Cricket Club team slightly worried!

The second two quarters were a tougher fight, but the team never gave up, they never let their heads drop and fought until the end. There was a lot of belief in themselves, and they came away with a well-deserved silver medal and a much more realistic score than the previous game against the Cranes. Thunder showed great progress over these games, and it will be great to see them in action after the break.

With there being very close friends between the two sides, it was fantastic to see a tense final game being played in such good spirit.

Dawn McGrain

U16S Red Rain

Valley Tigers who they hadn’t played during the league, so wasn’t sure of their capabilities. The girls had fought hard to get to this position today, each week playing with either no subs, borrowing players and even playing with just 6 players! We started out comfortably getting goals on the scoresheet in the 1st quarter, and Valley came back stronger during the 2nd quarter, this giving a very even match in the last 2 quarters. The girls didn’t give up and managed a great win 24-20. Thank you to our lovely coaches Alfreda and Heather, and we look forward to the Spring season in January. Well done Red Rain!

Karen Beattie

U16S Storm

The Storm girls brought their A game on Saturday in the final against HKCC Swifts. An absolute nail-biter. The Cricket Club girls can never be under-estimated, and this game was no exception. Tensions were high in the lead up to the game as the girls were missing 2 of their key players, Alana and Beca out with injury, leaving them with a depleted team and only 1 sub. Coach Kath got them started on court with a winning attitude. Each team scored off the centre passes initially then a few intercepts rattled them. A stern talking-to at quarter time improved their focus. The pace was frenetic, but the girls worked together in both offence and defence, moving the ball down the court beautifully and working around the goal circle with the necessary precision. Each and every one of the girls contributed to the brilliance – Bridie and Ruby, so disruptive in goal circle defence, going for every rebound and loose ball. Sienna, Elsie, Sara and Lily, great in the centre court, working together with strong, accurate passes to get the ball down to our shooters. Each of our shooters, Iris, Katie and Lily, had their eye in and didn’t miss a shot. This final was a superb game to watch, a wonderful example of what this great team of girls is capable of and their ability to perform under pressure. They should feel proud of this win, 23–22, in the last 60 seconds. A huge thank you to our wonderful coach, Kath Ellis, for your mentorship and expert guidance. The girls will enjoy a break over Christmas to recharge and recover from injury for the spring season. Fingers crossed we’ll get Jules back also as she continues her recovery from ACL surgery. Well done again Storm!

Kirsty Hulme

U19S Twisters

I think it’s safe to say that the Twisters had a few amazing months of netball. With a completely new team comes completely new combinations. Our shooters: Beauella, Hattie, Grace and Vanessa played to their maximum potential every game, scoring shots under moments of massive pressure. Midcourters: Matilda, Breanna, Hannah, Jessie and Megan worked relentlessly on defending and attacking, chasing down loose balls and feeding beautiful lobs in the circle. Finally our defenders: Sara, Maia, Taylor and sometimes Hattie, kept the pressure up in the defending third, sticking man on man, turning over possession every chance they got. Our team played tremendously under the luck we were dealt with, and we were just a bit unlucky in our final, but we will come back stronger and win that final next year. A huge thank you to coach Shirley for giving all of us the U19S TWISTERS confidence and support throughout our games. It’s been a great first few months of the season ladies! I’m really excited for what’s to come next year!

Megan Lui

U19S Mavericks

4th December: Perfect conditions greeted players, parents and friends for the Group A Final of the HKNA U/19 Juniors between HKFC Mavericks and HKS Bagpipers.

The Pipers took the first centre pass and showed they were ready to play, with some sharp ball handling and quick movement into attack. But it was the Mavericks who scored first, after some hustle through the middle to set up a drive to the net for the opening score. It turns out that our often-slow starting Mavs were also ready to play, as they piled on six more goals before Scottish opened their account. By the end of the first quarter, it was Mavs 10, Pipers 2.

In a game worthy of a final, and some spirited Piper defence, Maverick girls stuck to the game plan with fast movement and strong drives into the scoring zone. Half time saw the scoreline at 17 to 5. Special mention for all our midfield players, and Ellen in particular, for their impressive transference of the ball into the scoring zone. But for some persistent coverage and great pressure from Scottish, the Mavs could have compiled a match winning lead.

Finals can often be surprising, and a second half response by the Pipers was on the cards. However, with the first centre pass, our Mavericks resumed control and netted the ball from the first drive, with about 30 seconds on the clock.

A competitive third quarter that again featured fast movement through the middle by the Mavs and that dour defence for which the opponents are known saw the scores move on to 28-10.

The final quarter produced the anticipated goal rush for which this Maverick group has become known, and in three bursts, they put on 14 points, while conceding five to Scottish. The Pipers were honourable and never stopped trying, but it was a comprehensive win to our Mavs and another trophy for the Football Club.

Final score in this Autumn Season decider: HKFC Mavericks 42 : HKS Bagpipers 17.

Tom Allen