England won the 2025 Home Nations Cup. England won our Junior Championships, but they had to do it the hard way, suffering an early defeat to Wales. They then had to come from behind to defeat Wales in a dramatic final to lift the trophy for the second time.

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Group Stages
England suffered an opening game defeat to Wales in the 2024 competition, and history repeated itself once again. Wales charged into an early lead to put the pressure on the competition favourites, and it took England to the third quarter to get into the game. England did reduce the deficit, but due to a poor start, they started the competition with a loss.

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Scotland came into this event with alot of promise after the All-Star Finals matchplay had been so competitive. They played Northern Ireland in their opening fixture, and the game began nervously, with both teams taking time to find their footing on the court. As the game entered the third quarter, Scotland started to dominate, eventually running out convincing winners.

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Northern Ireland didn't have time to lick their wounds and played England in their next game straight after the Scotland one. England needed the win after their opening game defeat to Wales, and also needed to improve their goal difference. England started the game strongly and brushed aside Northern Ireland, who struggled to get into the game. In the end, a strong win for England and a great way to prepare for their must-win game against Scotland.

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Wales were in fine form and convincingly defeated Scotland and then Northern Ireland to top the group and guarantee themselves a place in the final. Wales was to play the winner of England Vs Scotland, and it was set up to be a classic battle between these two rival countries.

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Both Scotland and England had won going into their must-win tie, and intensity and competitive spirit were key in this game. England started the game like a house on fire and caught Scotland cold in the opening exchanges. England was linking up well down the court, and Scotland struggled to adapt as England dominated throughout. The biggest downside to Scotland's performance was the intensity of their play. They failed to rise to the occasion in such a historic matchup against England and, although they finished the game strong, missed out on a place in the final after a 29-11 loss.

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3rd/4th Play-off
The bronze medal game between Scotland and Northern Ireland provided a great conclusion to the competition for both teams. The game started competitively, with Scotland taking a narrow lead until halftime. Northern Ireland stayed in the game and levelled the tie going into the final quarter. With a bronze medal up for grabs, it was Scotland going into the final quarter who stepped up the pace and managed to get ahead and win in what was a competitive tie.

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Final
Wales had been perfect in the group stages, sweeping aside the Home Nations. They took on England in the final and, like the first game, started better than the two teams and raced into 6-2 lead. England made a couple of changes and managed to reduce the deficit in the second quarter to two points.

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Wales once again stayed in the lead in the third quarter after England wasted multiple chances to level the game, and it looked bleak for England as they were three points down going into the final quarter.

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All Wales had to do was hang onto their lead, but the introduction of Mylee Moore, who had an incredible season playing for Magic, changed the game. Mylee was a menace in the England attack, using her height to her advantage to force the Wales defenders to foul. This helped England creep back into the tie. At the other end of the court, Wales attacks were drying up as Charlotte Parry was in incredible form, cutting out feeds. This seemed to take the stuffing out of Wales, who were losing momentum in the most pivotal part of the game. In the final minutes, England edged ahead, and the English fans were in full voice, driving their team forward. Wales tried to respond, but ran out of gas, and it was England for the second time who became the Junior Home Nations Champions. 

 

Tournament MVP: Charlotte Parry (England)

Coach MVP's: Maggie Partridge (Wales), Ellie Rafferty (Scotland), Chirstina Forster (England), Grace Haffey (Northern Ireland)

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