They began in Group A, which proved to be the stronger of the two groups.  In their first match they beat Danes Hill 2-0, followed by a very close match against Hawthorns, 3-2.  They then played The Study, a school from Wimbledon, in which they steamrolled us in a 3-0 loss! Their speed was amazing. We had never come across a team so fast.  Our next match was against Felton Fleet and we bounced back to win convincingly 5-3.  Our final group match was against Caterham ‘A’, another very strong side.  It was a very competitively fought match with Hilden Grange sneaking the victory 4-3 by the final whistle.

By the end of the group matches we had finished second behind The Study.  We then faced the group 2 winners Derwent Lodge. We performed strongly and remained on top throughout the whole match to win 3-1.  Meanwhile The Study beat Hilden Oaks in the other semi-final, so we were to face The Study once again!

Our girls went out onto the court for the final full of confidence and determined to do better this time.  So they did!!  They played the stronger netball throughout the first half to take a tentative lead 1-0.  The Study fought back and the second half proved to become an epic battle for the ball.  Both teams scored early on and continued to create chances to score, but nerves crept in and it became harder to score.  Our supporters, including Hilden Oaks who had remained to cheer us on, were shouting out encouragement.  The tension was unbearable; we were waiting for that final whistle, which seemed to take an age to arrive.  Eventually it was blown and WE HAD DONE IT!  It was 3-2 to Hilden Grange by the end. 

We were all ecstatic.  It had been an outstanding effort by all of our girls to play the way they did and to beat a side who had beaten us so emphatically earlier on.  It was the proudest moment of my time at Hilden Grange.

Well done to all of our girls.  Each and every one played superbly.

Miss Houghton