Junior League Reports

M4 CORRIDOR LEAGUES

OPENING TOURNAMENTS

Sunday 23rd September 2007

National Indoor Athletic Centre (NIAC), UWIC, Cardiff

The M4 Corridor League opening tournaments provided an opportunity for new and existing teams to come along to NIAC to see what Welsh Netball has to offer in the U14 & U18 Superleagues and in the Satellite League. Each tournament gave every team a real taste of the competition and welcoming atmosphere at the leagues.

The U14 Superleague clubs were the first teams to start the day and they certainly set the standards high. Teams competed in their rounds striving to secure a top four position to ensure they went through to the knockouts. At midday four teams started their challenge for the Cup and four competed for the Plate final spots. The finals beckoned Pontypridd and Mumbles Treforus in the Cup and Penybont Dragons and Newport in the Plate. In true Superleague style both games were closely contended, with the Penybont Dragons v Newport match threatening to go to extra time. Penybont were able to nudge ahead to win the Plate Final 9-8. The Cup final was no different with the half time score being ‘even stevens’ between Pontypridd & Mumbles Treforus but Mumbles Treforus showed that they had the legs to take them through and win 12-6.

At 10am the whistles went for the start of the Satellite league. The Satellite League caters for a wide range of teams, from Junior teams looking to bridge the gap between junior and senior competition and senior teams looking to enjoy the game or improve their game ready for entry into established senior leagues. The key to this league is development and Sunday’s competitors showed their drive to succeed in their team goals. Teams enjoyed their round matches but only four from each division would go through to the next stage. The Cup semis were between Pant & Dowlais v Menter Caerdydd and Pontypridd v Old Illtydians and the Plate brought an inter club semi between Cardiff Bay A v Cardiff Bay B and Heath Angels v Old Illtydians B to the court.  Cardiff Bay A emerged winners from their semi and took on Old Illtydians B in the Plate Final. Both teams played hard but the young Old Illtydian side took the win. The final in the Cup matched an experienced side in Pant & Dowlais with last seasons Satellite League winners Old Illtydians A, Supporters were in for a good game! Pant & Dowlais had the extra edge and took the win.

After a morning of relaxation, except for my two little helpers Phoebe and Hannah from Maesteg U18’s, the U18 players entered into NIAC prepared for an afternoon of challenging competition. The round fixtures provided exciting viewing for the spectators with many games finishing with only a one or two goal difference. As with the other tournaments only 4 teams from each pool would make it through to the next rounds. The Plate semis were Maesteg B v Treharris B and Mumbles A v Llantrisant A once again crowd pleasing matches. The top four pool teams crossed over to play the Cup Semi finals, the draw saw Central v Treharris and Maesteg A v Mumbles B. The semi finals set the mark for the final’s – each fixture showcased the exceptional talent that the U18 Superleague has. The Central v Treharris fixture came down to a penalty pass or shot for Treharris’  Laura Rees, who managed to keep her nerve and sink the shot to put Treharris through to the final. Treharris were joined by Maesteg A who beat Mumbles B to go through to the Cup Final. The Plate final was between the league’s good rivals Maesteg and Mumbles Treforus. As always, these teams played excellent Netball but the tournament’s plate title was to be Mumbles A with a 13-2 win. After a long day at NIAC coaches were beginning to feel weary and spectators were ready for home, well Treharris and Maesteg A decided to finish the day with a BANG! At full time the teams were tied at 6-6! Two minutes each way extra time was played and after end to end action Treharris secured the win by one goal. It was a fabulous climax to the day.

Congratulations to all the days winners and to all those players that took part, you should all be very proud of the standard of Netball that you brought to the M4 League Opening Tournaments.

A huge thank you goes to all the coaches, team managers, parents, guardians and spectators for your dedication to your players and also your support of the M4 Leagues. A special thank you goes to Hannah Phoebe and Sarah for their help with the scorers desk.

Here’s looking forward to an excellent season,

See you all on the 7th October

 

 

M4 CORRIDOR LEAGUE SEASON REPORT

2006-2007

University of Wales Institute Cardiff’s sports facilities played host to Welsh Netball’s M4 corridor leagues this season. The National Indoor Athletic Centre (NIAC) and the new wooden sprung floor in the Sports Hall provided an excellent venue for the players, team management and spectators. Every other Sunday the courts welcomed on average between 100 and 200 players and once a month when the Cardiff & Vale Junior league joined in nearly 400 netballers!

The M4 corridor leagues comprise of an U14 Superleague, U17 Superleague and a Satellite league. The leagues open with a pre season qualifying tournament inviting club teams to bench mark their ability against other teams from along the M4 corridor. The U14 Superleague is an established league attracting the top U14 sides showcasing the strength of netball at grassroots. The U17 Superleague was new for the 06-07 season and has provided an opportunity for an age group that has limited avenues to compete; the standard of competition has been excellent. The Satellite league is for teams that (a) have moved from junior competition and need a development pathway before senior competition and (b) senior sides that currently sit outside of formal league competition.

The M4 Corridor leagues are developing in strength and competition is strong. The credit for the success of these leagues goes to the club coaches, volunteers and parents/guardians who support the leagues and of course the players who compete with passion every match. I hope that you will continue to support the league structure and train and play hard to compete for the league titles next season.

2006-2007 LEAGUE WINNERS

U14 SUPERLEAGUE - MAESTEG

U17 SUPERLEAGUE CUP - MUMBLES TREFORUS B

U17 SUPERLEAGUE PLATE - MAESTEG B

SATELLITE LEAGUE CUP - OLD ILLTYDIANS

SATELLITE LEAGUE PLATE - CANTON UNITED

(Full league table results available below)

Claire Knowles
Events and Cardiff Netball Development Officer

Junior Netball Results:

 

M4 CORRIDOR LEAGUES LAUNCHED - click here

Maesteg Under 14 Winners

Spears A Sat Winners