U11 & U13 Netball Tour to Marlborough College Malaysia

It was a cold March morning when we all met at Pudong Airport but everyone arrived in good time and excited for travel to the netball tournament in Malaysia. The journey was very long, involving a flight to Singapore and then coach journey across to Johor Bahru in Malaysia. We arrived at the hotel at 8.30 in the evening, tired but happy.   The next morning saw us heading off early to Marlborough College. After registration and a brief warm-up, play commenced. It was a wet and stormy day and the first match was played indoors. The girls were up against some tough opposition, as they played Dulwich College Singapore. Despite a valiant effort and some great play, they lost the first match by a couple of goals, though it made for a really good game.   After a break it was straight into the second match, which was held outdoors this time. With a few of the girls trying out some different positions, their play was not as good in this game and fatigue from the travel and heat started to kick in. After a longer break, the girls then played two more games back to back and were absolutely exhausted by the end. The standard of opposition was high and the girls found it hard going. There were some outstanding performances, especially from our defensive players and although the overall results were not as good as they had hoped for, for many I think this was due to tiredness.   After a little bit of shopping time on Saturday evening, it was another early start on Sunday as we journeyed home. I’d like to offer my congratulations to the girls for conducting themselves so well, and for attaining a very credible third place in the tournament despite the challenging conditions and opposition.     Nick Starbrook Director of Sport Wellington College International Shanghai