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GRANGETOWN CREATE
HISTORY AFTER
NETBALL CUP WIN

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Grangetown became the first team from the North East to win an ENG Netball Cup National Final. They defeated Herts Dynamos in the final of the U14 Netball Cup to create history, following their success in the previous season's U13 Netball Cup Knock-Out Series.

The competition was played at the magnificent Essex Sports Arena, and fifteen of the best youth netball teams in the country were in attendance. There were fantastic games, dramatic moments, and outstanding performances from individual players.

Group A
This group was labeled the group of death due to the high quality of the teams all involved. CD Phoenix, who won our Southern competition, started brightly against Oaksway, winning convincingly. Grangetown, one of the hot favourites to win this event, had to work hard against Ribble Valley to secure a 9-7 win. Ribble had the credentials to cause an upset in this event, and their opening performance suggested they were not to be taken lightly.

CD Phoenix and Grangetown continued their winning form in the following games, both winning convincingly, and they were on a collision course in what looked like a dress rehearsal for a potential title-winning match later in the competition.

After video technology corrected the score, Ribble Valley finally won their first game against Oaksway. Oaksway also got their first win over AP Saints, who, as a U13 team, were struggling within this group. The big game of the group was between CD Phoenix and Grangetown, and what was expected to be a close game ended up being a straightforward win for Grangetown, who swept aside the Sussex-based team to win by six goals.

Results
CD Phoenix (16) Vs Oaksway (2)
Ribble Valley (7) Vs Grangetown (9)
Grangetown (19) Vs AP Saints White (1)
Ribble Valley (7) Vs CD Phoenix (13)
Oaksway (7) Vs Ribble Valley (8)
AP Saints (5) Vs CD Phoenix (15)
CD Phoenix (6) Vs Grangetown (12)
AP Saints White (2) Vs Grangetown (12)
AP Saints White (2) Vs Oaksway (13)
Ribble Valley (8) Vs AP Saints White (6)
Grangetown (13) Vs Oaksway (7)

Group B
Hatfield, who had finished runners-up in the Eastern Finals, was incredible in winning all four group-stage games. They had to work hard for their wins, with three victories only being within one or two points.

Starz came into the competition with an understrength side but still performed well en route to coming second in the group. A draw against Braintree would negatively affect their fixtures in the knock-out. As for Braintree, the champions of the East, they struggled to recreate the form of the regionals and had to rely on a point against Starz to make sure they still had a chance of advancing into the finals.

Little Sutton and AP Saints got the wins they needed to advance into the quarter-final playoffs, but their low positions meant it would be a challenging game for both sides on the knock-outs.

Results
Braintree (5) Vs AP Saints U13 (9)
Little Sutton (5) Vs Hatfield (7)
Hatfield (5) Vs Starz (4)
Little Sutton (5) Vs Braintree (4)
AP Saints U13 (7) Vs Little Sutton (10)
Starz (6) Vs Braintree (6)
Braintree (4) Vs Hatfield (9)
Starz (14) VS AP Saints U13 (7)
Little Sutton (4) Vs Starz (8)
Hatfield (8) Vs AP Saints U13 (7)

Group C
Leeds Athletic were the favourites to win this group, especially after their success in the ENG U14 YNPL Northern Conference. In their opening game, they took on Herts Dynamos and lost 7-5 to the Hertfordshire-based team. A slender win against Team Beds was followed with a draw against Ryland and a shock loss to AP Saints. Leeds's results reflected the intensity of this tournament and the unpredictability of the short game time, and for Leeds, they came unstuck and finished in a surprising fourth-place position.

 

The group's surprise package was Herts Dynamos, who swept aside each team to finish top. This meant they went straight into the last eight and had a great chance of finishing in the top four. Ryland had mixed results and finished above Leeds on goal difference. AP Saints did well in finishing runners-up in what was a tough group.

Results
Leeds Athletic (5) Vs Herts Dynamos (7)
Team Beds (9) Vs AP Saints Navy (9)
AP Saints Navy (8) Vs Ryland NC (5)
Team Beds (6) Vs Leeds Athletic (8)
Herts Dynamos (11) Vs Team Beds (2)
Ryland (3) Vs Leeds Athletic (3)
Leeds Athletic (5) Vs AP Saints Navy (9)
Ryland (3) Vs Herts Dynamos (8)
Team Beds (4) Vs Ryland (9)
AP Saints Navy (5) Vs Herts Dynamos (8)

 

 

Quarter-Final Play-Offs
There was not too much drama within this round of play, with most of the teams expecting to win quite convincingly. The only game that went to the wire was between Ribble Valley and Ryland. Ribble Valley looked set to win the game, being 8-5 up with two minutes to go. A flurry of turnovers quickly changed the game's momentum, and suddenly, the score was 8-8 with one minute to go. Ryland now had the chance to win the game, but needing more concentration in feeding the shooters led to Ribble Valley turning over the ball and racing down the court to score with only one second left on the clock. This gave them the win and fixture with Grangetown in the quarter-finals.

Results
CD Phoenix (12) Vs Braintree (6)
Starz (13) Vs Oaksway (5)
AP Saints Navy (10) Vs AP Saints U13 (5)
Little Sutton (3) Vs Leeds Athletic (10)
Ribble Valley (9) Vs Ryland (8)

Quarter-Finals
Grangetown looked exceptional in their mission to win this event and brushed aside Ribble Valley, which looked like a tricky game on paper. Herts Dynamos were also excellent. A blistering first-half performance meant Leeds Athletic had a mountain to climb in the second half. Leeds did react and force Herts Dynamos to work for their win in the second half, but due to the big scoreline in the first half, the damage had already been done, and Leeds had to settle for a 5th-8th place finish.

CD Phoenix had to work for their win against Starz. Starz went in at halftime two points ahead after some neat and patient circle play throughout the half put CD Phoenix on the back foot. The second half saw CD Phoenix start strong, and they managed to turn the game around quickly to go ahead. Starz struggled to recreate the same performance in the second half with CD Phoenix reading their play, and missed shots didn't helped slow down Starz's momentum. 

In the final quarter-final game, Hatfield won very professionally against the AP Saints. A tense opening couple of minutes saw Hatfield settle down the quickest of both teams, and they went on to win convincingly.

Results
Grangetown (12) Vs Riible Valley (6)
Herts Dynamos (11) Vs Leeds Athletic (8)
CD Phoenix (12) Vs Starz (8)
Hatfield (12) Vs AP Saints Navy (9)

14th-15th Play-Off
Team Beds (14) Vs AP Saints White (2)

9th-14th Play-Off
Ryland (9) Vs Ryland (4)
Little Sutton (11) Vs Braintree (7)
AP Saints U13 (2) Vs Oaksway (13)

 

Semi-Finals
Grangetown and CD Phoenix met again. The first game between the two sides saw a convincing win for Grangetown, but it would play out alot differently this time. CD Phoenix had the better of the opening exchanges and found themselves two points ahead midway through the first half. Grangetown settled down and started to play some delightful netball with exceptional feeds in their shooters, keeping them in the game. CD Phoenix equally matched Grangetown's superb play, and with five seconds to go, they scored to go into halftime two points ahead.

The CD Phoenix defence started strong in the second half, and it took Grangetown a full minute to score. CD Phoenix's performance looked much edgier in this half, and Grangetown took advantage after some missed-placed passes and mistakes in the final third allowed Grangetown to go ahead by one point. The most pivotal moment of the quarter saw Grangetown miss a shot with the score at 9-9 and with only fifty seconds to go of the game. CD Phoenix had the chance to go ahead, and as they made their way out from the back of the court, the Grangetown centre read a pass into their centre. CD Phoenix missed the chance to go ahead, and it was Grangetown back in front. CD Phoenix scored again to level the tie, but they probably scored too quickly. The score was now 10-10 with thirty seconds to go, and it was Grangetown centre pass. CD Phoenix tried to delay the Grangetown attack as much as they could, but Grangetown found themselves in front of the goal with seconds to go. A pressure shot was scored professionally to end CD Phoenix's hopes of victory, and Grangetown was in the final.

Like the Leeds Athletic game, Herts Dynamos started on fire against Hatfield and managed to put their local rivals under pressure going into the second half. Herts Dynamos opened up a three-point lead early in the second half, and this saw Hatfield respond by scoring a couple of goals only to be one point down. The game now turned cagey with defences on top, but Herts Dynamos managed to get ahead by two points again and started to control the game, keeping the ball and draining the clock. Ultimately, it was a fantastic win for Herts Dynamos, and they were in their first ENG final.

Results
Grangetown (11) Vs CD Phoenix (10)
Herts Dynamos (7) Vs Hatfield (5)

Semi-Finals 5th-8th

Ribble Valley (8) Vs Starz (7)

Leeds Athletic (12) Vs AP Saints Navy (7)

Semi Finals 9th-12th Play-Offs

Ryland (11) Vs Oaksway (8)

Little Sutton (11) Vs Braintree (7)

Final 13th-14th Place

Team Beds (11) Vs AP Saints U13 (13)

Final 11th-12th Place

Oaksway (11) Vs Braintree (9)

Final 9th-10th Place

Little Sutton (6) Vs Ryland (4)

Final 7th-8th Place

Starz (9) Vs AP Saints Navy (6)

Final 5th-6th Place

Leeds Athletic (11) Vs Ribble Valley (9)

3rd/4th Play-Off

CD Phoenix were the favourites to win the third-place medal but came unstuck against Hatfield, who had performed superbly all day. The first half went according to plan, with CD Phoenix leading 6-3 at halftime. In the second half, the wheels started to fall off the CD Phoenix train, and Hatfield managed to draw the game. It went goal for goal up until the final whistle. Extra time would sort this encounter, and Hatfield pressed for the advantage off their centre pass. A misplaced pass saw CD Phoenix recapture the ball, and they scored to give themselves a massive advantage with only one minute to go. CD Phoenix had the centre pass, which would determine the outcome of the game, and with the win in their sights, they threw the ball away, and Hatfield now had the chance to level the tie. Hatfield leveled the tie and still had time to score the winner. After a patient build-up and a load of fouls later, they scored the winner to claim an impressive third-place finish.

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Result

CD Phoenix (10) Vs Hatfield (11)

Final

We all love an epic final, but it wasn't to be on this occasion. Herts Dynamos needed a strong start, something they had shown they were capable of in previous games, but on this occasion, they couldn't muster the necessary performance to make the final the occasion we wanted. Grangetown easily won and became the first North East-based team to win an ENG Netball Cup competition.

Result

Grangetown (13) Vs Herts Dynamos (5)

MVP: Sophie Arnold (Grangetown)

All-Stars: Izzy Wall (Herts Dynamos), India Storey (Starz NC),  Bibi Fisher (Hatfield NC),  Matilda Bloom (Little Sutton), Rhea Vanterpool-Hilling (CD Phoenix), Lauren Parker (Ryland), Lizzy Mullen (Team Beds), Eva Engwell (Leeds Athletic), Emily Jones (Ribble Valley), Farrah Rashid (Braintree NC), Sophie Arnold (Grangetown), Thomasina Ravencroft (AP Saints U13), Nina Koelsch (AP Saints Navy)

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Herts Dynamos recorded an impressive victory over Leeds Athletic

Epic final quarter of the Grangetown Vs CD Phoenix game

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Ribble Valley finished in a solid 6th position

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