Dalbeattie based Stewartry Netball Club are celebrating after topping the Harraby Carlisle Netball 2023 Summer League.
Winning seven out of their eight games, Stewartry topped the table with 36 points, three points ahead of second placed Meerkats 2.
It was a successful run for the majority of the season and the team headed into their last game against previous league winners Meerkats 1 unbeaten, but despite their confidence and a strong squad, they were unable to take the win in their final match of the season, losing 36-23.
Although ending the season on a loss wasn’t ideal, the previous results meant that the Dalbeattie side had done enough to top the table, with a run of wins against teams including Harraby (45-38) and Penrith Swifts (36-35).
With a core spine in the team’s attack and defence end each week, Stewartry worked together to produce consistent results over the season, factoring in changes to the mid-court and switching players around as required to deliver the win each week.
Katie Kolita and Claire Schutz shared the player of the match title for the league, earning three nominations each from opposing teams.
Stewartry Netball Club captain Ann Little said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won the Carlisle league this summer. It was down to the wire, and we really thought we might have just missed out on the top spot.
“It has been a full team effort travelling down to Carlisle each week, and the whole squad has gone above and beyond to make sure we’re able to field a team.
“A huge thank you also has to go to our coach and umpire Louise Gaffney for travelling to umpire games, as well as coaching the team each week. We also couldn’t have done it without Karen McCarney who was our scorer and Sam Little, our team mascot.
“The team has come a long way since it was established in 2008 and we’re really proud of this achievement.”
Stewartry Netball Club welcomes new members and players of all abilities and anyone looking to join should get in touch via the Facebook page. Netball training starts back for the new season from 6.15pm to 7.45pm at Dalbeattie Learning Campus on Thursday, August 24.
Stewartry Netball Club squad: Ann Little, Chloe Cowan, Claire Schutz, Danielle Burgess, Eilidh McKie, Emily Forsyth, Iona St Joseph, Katie Kolita, Kaylee McCarney, Megan Forsyth, Nadia Baines, Yvonne Somerville (not all squad members pictured).
