The Netball Tour to Sri Lanka was described by one of the 17 girls on the 10-day trip as “an amazing opportunity to develop knowledge, not only of our netball skills but of the culture of this breath-taking country. It is trips like these that make me so thankful for sports at Aldenham”.

Due to the Sri Lankan climate, matches were played in the afternoons leaving time to relax and for some sightseeing. The first two matches were wake up calls as the Sri Lankans were tall, fast and agile. Having adjusted slightly to the climate, the play was stronger in the next two matches as the girls played out of their skins and focused on all the targets they had been set.

Probably one of the highlights for most was the visit to an elephant orphanage in Pinnawala to see semi wild elephants play in the river and watch them cross the road from the orphanage to the river. A visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site the Temple of the Tooth showed how the Sri Lankan people observe their religion.

In the two matches which followed, each player showed great improvement as they worked exceptionally hard in the very hot weather. The end result was a narrow defeat for the A team and a convincing win for the B team. The last two matches in Kandy were against Mahamaya College which were both won convincingly. The final stop on the tour was to Hikkaduwa for a day of relaxing before flying home. On the way, they visited a turtle hatchery and learnt about the brilliant conservation work that this charity does to save the turtles from being sold on the black market.

The trip was a great success and the girls improved their netball immeasurably. It is without doubt a trip they remember forever.