Despite challenging weather conditions, the Year 7 & 8 athletes were tenacious and demonstrated their love for the game of netball when they travelled to Ipswich for the inaugural netball tour. The U13As played well against The Royal Hospital School with some fantastic attacking combinations between Hannah Cushion and Bella Yeabsley. Dilara Tekin had an outstanding performance as Goal Keeper for the U13Bs, making it hard for RHS to feed the ball into the shooting circle. The U12As also worked hard to keep possession of the ball – a number of positional changes in this game proved how versatile they are as a squad. The U12Bs demonstrated their core skills well to drive forward onto the pass. In the end the weather did get the better of them and no team was able to secure a win, however they demonstrated some great play against a very physical and tactical side.

The following day, the athletes travelled to Woodbridge School, Ipswich for their final fixture of the tour. Known for their competitive netball programme, the girls were aware that they were going to be even tougher competition. The U12As started their fixture well with some brilliant drives onto the ball and some fantastic shots by Lyla Berg. However the experience of the opposing side meant that the goal line quickly increased and Aldenham struggled to get it back. The U12Bs had a similar result; despite some fantastic defensive interceptions by Ore Babtunde-Alli, they struggled to keep possession of the ball. The U13As battled well with a slow start to the game which allowed the opposition to take a lead. However, Aldenham were tenacious and did not give up so the second half of the game ended in a draw – well done to Louisa Freedman who was able to control the speed of the game. Finally, the U13Bs worked hard to match the aggression and speed of a slick Woodbridge side. Amelia Hunt dominated the attacking circle with some excellent shooting. Despite the end results, the games played over the course of the weekend have given the athletes a lot to think about and all players have been able to gain from the experience, with renewed excitement for the sport.

As well as the games, there were a number of activities to make the experience of their first netball tour even better including an unforgettable Roller Disco.

Louisa Freedman (U13A Captain)  said "It was a really great experience going away with my friends and playing against new schools and supporting one another. The matches we played were tough but we fought through it and we all had a great time. I especially enjoyed going to Roller World as we were all falling over!"