A Spectacular Showcase at the Annual ‘Superball’ Fixture
The annual ‘Superball’ Netball fixture saw RGS Worcester play against King’s School, winning 52-41 in a spectacular event in front of a sell-out crowd at The University of Worcester Arena on Saturday evening. The RGS Worcester 1st and 2nd Netball teams both celebrated wins and retained the University of Worcester Superball trophy, making it six wins out of eight for RGS since ‘Superball’ was introduced in 2014.
The evening got off to an exciting start with the 2nd VII squads competing in a thrilling game which saw RGS take an early lead and win the match 29-19 with a confident performance throughout.
Between the two matches, pupils from the Prep Schools enjoyed a Netball coaching class. Young pupils from both Senior Schools also entertained the spectators with specially choreographed joint dance routines during the build-up to the eagerly anticipated 1st team ‘Superball’ match and in the breaks between each quarter.
As the 1st teams took to the arena, the spectators from both sides cheered them on. The match proved to be closely contested with both teams showing resilience and determination throughout. At half time the score was 25-22 to RGS Worcester. RGS’s Head of Netball, Miss Rebecca Gwilliam, herself a Netball player for the Worcester Reds Netball Team, shared some of her experience and prepared the girls for the second half.
In the final two quarters, the RGS team held onto their lead, showing their athleticism and tenacity, calmly scoring goal after goal as their supporters cheered them on. The atmosphere in the Arena was electric as the final seconds of the match counted down and RGS stretched their lead to 52-41. At the final whistle, over 800 RGS supporters were on their feet to celebrate the win and congratulate the players.
RGS Head of Netball, Miss Rebecca Gwilliam said: “The game was tightly contested and credit to King’s for pushing us until that final whistle. The girls stuck to the game plan, moved the ball around and kept the speed and intensity of the game right where we wanted it.
I’m proud of the girls for their continued efforts, trust and commitment this term and to return to RGS with the Superball trophy has been a delightful end to a fun-filled Netball term.”
Headmaster, John Pitt, added: “What an incredible match and what an experience for the players of both teams to play in front of a sell-out audience in this superb venue. Thank you to everyone who joined us both here in the Arena and also online watching the match through live streaming. It was amazing to see so many people cheering on each team in what was a high-quality match played by two very talented sets of players. Well done indeed to all the players and their coaches, Rebecca Gwilliam and Rebecca Airey. The RGS team is full of hard-working pupils who are utterly determined so they will be pleased to have got over the line and well done to the 2nd team as well. Together, they will have inspired our younger pupils to keep working on their Netball and seize their own opportunity to play Superball in the future.”
The RGS 1st VII team featured England sports star Goal Shooter Haineala (Ala) Lutui who also plays England Under 18 Rugby. Ella Goddard was voted ‘Player of the Match’ for RGS for her role as Goal Attack and Goal Shooter. The RGS 1st VII Captain Izzy Thompson, who plays Netball for Central Warriors Academy, confidently led the team in her third and final appearance at ‘Superball’.
Well done to both teams for an exhilarating match which provided a great showcase for girls’ sport in Worcester. The above summary was published in the Worcester News this week.
