I DIDN’T think I would say it, but I really like Netball. I know I’m supposed the slate it and say how Basketball is “so much better”, but actually, I’m not so sure.
Walking into the tent to join the group was at first slightly intimidating, since I stuck out like a sore thumb for obvious reasons. But I was warmly welcomed by team captain Rebecca O’Dwyer and the girls, and once we got into the drills I started to enjoy myself.
Vision’s own Charlotte Ferris talked me through the opening stages, as we partnered up for some simple catching exercises. As a college rugby player I feel quite at home throwing a ball around, and this probably led me into a false sense of security, as when we got to the more complex drills things weren’t nearly so easy.
We moved onto a drill which involved turning sharply and beating a defender before sprinting to receive a catch and pass the ball on, and at first my male brain struggled to comprehend the multitude of instructions; all three of them. I kept getting in everybody’s way and even managed to throw the ball into areas of blank space a few times, but got the hang of it in the end.
After these warm up drills I was raring to try my hand at a proper game, and my wishes were granted when the squad split up into firsts, seconds and thirds for just this.
I joined the second team and unfortunately for them was given the job of playing centre, which was good in the sense that I was very unlikely to run somewhere I shouldn’t, but bad in that it should have been my job to dictate the play.
I was told to mark my opposite centre and the game wasn’t five minutes in before I realised where my biggest downfall in the sport would come. Every time I looked around to see where the third team centre was, expecting her to be behind me, cut out of the game by my exquisite blocking skills, she was actually over the other side of the court feeding the shooters, whose accuracy I was impressed with throughout the session – they don’t even have back boards to assist them like basketballers do.
Occasionally I would display a fleeting moment of averageness (the dizzy hights for which I was striving) by intercepting a pass or making an ambitious pass of my own, but there was an obvious gulf in quality between the girls and myself. For one, they were very well drilled, and they played with such speed. Everyone always seemed to know immediately where to find a team-mate, and there were occasions in which four or five points would be scored in a matter of minutes.
After my stint at centre I also tried out at goal-defence, which limited me to the defensive side of the court and gave me the job of marking (oh joy) the opposition goal-attack and trying to prevent her from scoring. Needless to say she racked up the points, though I did manage to make a few decent interceptions – I had decided by this point that intercepting was my favourite part of the sport.
Late on in the session I received a promotion, though not one based on merit, and played at wing-attack for the first team. I quite enjoyed this position as it felt a bit like playing in my favoured footballing role ‘in the hole’ behind the strikers, and it also gave me license to run around lots in order to warm my freezing cold body before heading home.
I actually felt disappointed as training came to an end – I had really enjoyed my time with the netball team, I would go back, although to be honest, it would probably look a bit weird if I turn up to another session without Vision as an excuse.