The squad consisting of Laura Pettet (Capt), Amie Isham, Hannah
Perrett, Michelle Hollman, Sarah Gummer, Laura Thompson, Phil
Webb, Stef Purdy, Debbie Grant, Suubi Nduga, Steph Woodhouse
and Stacey Jones, all assembled at Dartford Harvester on 5th
June 2005. After long deliberations to which route to take we
all set off to Sheffield, on a quest to become Telstars National
League players, a challenge we had prepared for during the previous
weeks! Well if only it was that easy……..
The art of a successful convoy has been practised on many an
occasion but rarely to much success, this time was no different.
After driving round the one way system for the third time, and
experiencing the bus routes around Sheffield we finally arrived
at our hotel. There we found Stef Purdy having made herself quite
at home with not only the hotel but the people there too (netball
and a stag night what more could you ask for eh Stef!?)
Having settled in we all set off to Pizza Hut for dinner. With
full tummies we retreated back to the bar, for a round on the
skipper (Thanks Lau!), however by this time many were flagging
and it didn’t take long for the troops to head for bed
and a good night sleep ready for tomorrow’s challenge.
At half past 8 the following morning we all made our way down
to breakfast, an army of blue, white and red. The noise level
had dropped dramatically and thoughts were definitely else where.
Quickly the cars were packed up and we set off again, this time
for the Sheffield Institute of Sport. The cars pulled up outside
the big glass doors of the Institute and we walked into the brand
new arena, with sprung wooden floors and surrounded by pictures
of England players. By this time the adrenaline was really flowing
and everyone was inspired by the fantastic facilities. We made
camp and the conversation at this stage was slim. There was only
time for a good warm up and a few inspiring words from coach
Anita before our campaign begun.
We won our first two games, the perfect start, which we aimed
to keep up throughout the day! We played a total of five matches
all of which were tough physically and mentally, but we were
confident in the team’s ability and rose to the challenge
well. Our toughest opposition was against Cross Keys (the eventual
winners) however we also struggled against Gateshead Stadium
towards the end of the day. This placed our outcome out of our
hands, and the final game seemed to last a life time, knowing
that if Cross Keys won we would go through in second place. Sure
enough when the final whistle blew we couldn’t hide our
excitement and awaited the presentations eagerly (just to be
sure!)
The tears followed soon after, hugs, smiles and joy all round…..We
were in National League AT LAST!! Well done everyone!!
