ATHERSTONE Adders ladies netted success at a major netball tournament in Coventry, whilst the Stratford One team were runners-up.
More than 60 women from across Coventry and Warwickshire went head-to-head to compete at the Warwickshire Back to Netball Festival held at Caludon Castle Sports Centre on Axholme Road.
Eight netball teams from Stratford, Rugby, Warwickshire, Leamington and Coventry took to the courts to compete in the round-robin tournament, which saw Atherstone Adders crowned as winners, while Stratford One secured second place and Henley Hot Shots came third.
The festival was organised to celebrate a recent surge in netball activity across the region after new Back to Netball programmes were launched in Coventry, Rugby, Stratford and Leamington to complement existing programmes in Atherstone, Henley-in-Arden and Solihull.
Over the last six months around 180 women have joined the Back to Netball Programme, which is developed by England Netball and supported by Coventry, Solihull & Warwickshire Sport (CSW Sport) and Warwickshire County Netball Association.
Sarah Taylor, Warwickshire Netball Development Officer, organised the event and was thrilled with the number of entries.
“It is absolutely fantastic to see Back to Netballers from across the sub-region come together and compete against each other in a major tournament,” she said.
“Netball is great for women to get involved in, whether it is to rediscover a previous sporting ability or to just get active again, and we have been delighted with the take-up of the sport across the area.
“Every team really embraced the netball festival which saw a number of closely contested play-off games before the Atherstone Adders secured victory against Stratford One.
“The event was thoroughly enjoyed by all of those involved and we also raised £62 for England Netball’s official charity, Cancer Research UK.
“Congratulations to all of the players and coaches that took part and thanks to the umpires who helped to ensure the event ran smoothly.”
