FOR the first time ever, a Jersey junior netball team was seeded in a major competition at the weekend.

The annual Alex Barlass tournament attracts teams from all over the UK and this year there were 49 U18 and 48 U16 teams taking part, with the Jersey U16s seeded in the top 12 ahead of their matches on Sunday, following Saturday’s preliminary rounds.In their seven 15-minute games on Saturday they lost their first 10-8 to Lincolnshire, although the match went goal for goal until the last couple of minutes.

But the result was a wake-up call for Jersey, who went on to win 9-8 against Durham, 8-1 against Gloucestershire, 10-7 against Dorset East and 17-5 against Merseyside.Word had got round about the Jersey side and a large crowd gathered to watch their match against last year’s champions, Essex Met.

The Islanders were not in the least overawed and played some inspirational netball, setting the pace and forcing Essex into uncharacteristic errors.The score was 5-5 at half-time and the crowd grew, anticipating an upset.

The match continued goal for goal, with Jersey challenging every ball.

The score was level with under a minute to go, when Essex intercepted the ball and drove through the court, finishing with a goal to make the score 11- 10 in their favour.

With just four seconds left, Jersey had no time to equalise.In their last game, against Somerset – the only other team to take a point off Essex – Jersey still had a battle on their hands.

Totally focused, they were unstoppable and recorded a superb 15-10 victory to ensure them second place in their group and a top-12 seeding.Sunday’s matches were fast and physical, with split-second decisions made.

The girls rose to the challenge and despite recording only a single victory, they produced some excellent netball.They beat Hertfordshire 13-7 but then lost 12-8 to Lancashire, 11-9 to Warwickshire, 15-9 to East Essex and 17-7 to Greater Manchester.The Jersey team then met Surrey to decide ninth and tenth places, but Surrey’s strength and agility proved just too much and Jersey finished tenth – a highly commendable achievement.Coach Linda Andrews was very proud of her young team.

‘They were amazing.

They were completely unfazed by this huge event and went into each game with real commitment,’ she said.’Playing in the top section against high-quality county teams is the challenge we need to help the development of these talented youngsters.

They put in a fantastic performance,’Squad: Abigail Hazley, Lara Crenan, Sophie Holmes, Natalie Workman, Carla Plater, Abigail Poole, Georgia Hickey, Lauren Devine, Kelly Liddle, Zoe Hewlett, Ashley Le Feuvre, Victoria Brady.Jersey’s U18s also performed well over the two days, although their first match, against an experienced county side, was an example of the high standard of English netball required, and Jersey were unable to respond fully.

To add to their woes, captain Holly Oakes sustained an ankle injury, which put her out of the tournament for the rest of the day.But the team remained determined and their second game, against Shropshire, saw a remarkable turn around in performance as Jersey won 11-5.In a close match against Somerset, centre court players Zara Blake, Lyndsay Barchi and Sarah Le Couilliard intercepted many balls and Steph Hales and Rebecca Hughes were able to pull back a three-goal deficit to win 13-12.Inspired, they won their following three games to play-off for a 13th to 24th final place.Despite tired legs and aching muscles the following day, the U18s battled on and finished sixth in their group and a play-off against Hampshire North.Jersey pulled out all the stops, playing fluently and accurately and feeding shooters Natalie Rondel and Jacqui Harrop, who consistently converted, and they finished an impressive 23rd overall.Coach Lisa Bowman said: ‘It was hard work, but they put in some great performances and had a successful weekend which, with their hard work and determination, should stand them in good stead for the inter-insulars this weekend.’Squad: Holly Oakes, Ella Hickey, Laura Crabb, Zara Blake, Lyndsay Barchi, Sarah Le Couilliard, Steph Hales, Rebecca Hughes, Allana Binnie, Laura A’Court, Natalie Rondel, Jacqui Harrop.