Grangetown hosted New Cambell in their second game – and second home fixture – of the new Prem 1 campaign.
 
The visitors had been magnificent in last season’s corresponding encounter, and have arguably been the best side to have visited the north east since Grangetown began competing at a national level.
 
For this game however, both clubs were affected by international call-ups for the Netball Europe Open Championships which were taking place in Northern Ireland. Four of Grangetown’s squad were representing the Republic of Ireland, including regular defensive pairing Genevieve Slater and Katie Walton, who was playing for the first time under her married name of Knox. New Cambell were without Northern Ireland’s Michelle Drayne as well as teenage defender Funmi Fadoju who was making her full England debut – hopefully the start of a long and successful international career for this outstanding young athlete.
 
With a depleted defence, Jenny Mrozik played despite struggling with a knee injury and Rebecca Thompson made her Grangetown debut at goal defence. Grangetown vice-captain Ria Small took her place in the starting seven after scans revealed a cheekbone injury sustained the previous week was not a fracture as had been first feared; and Brie Grierson’s availability was a major boost to Grangetown’s attacking potential.
 
Both sides had suffered round 1 losses, New Cambell to newly-promoted Hucclecote and Grangetown to Tameside, so even at this early stage of the season, the game represented an important opportunity to register that crucial first win.

​In a fast-paced opening, the two sides traded four goals before Paige McCalla’s long shot was followed by a wayward Grangetown centre pass, from which Rochelle Rhodes netted after taking a good catch under pressure. The visitors then converted from their next restart to take an early three-goal lead.
 
Ash Neal then found her attacking partner Abbie Le Brocq unmarked for the score, only for Paige and Rochelle to almost replicate the move at the opposite end of the court.
 
The Grangetown attacking trio of Abbie, Ash and Brie then combined superbly to reduce the arrears, and when New Cambell were penalised for delaying their centre pass, Brie’s looped pass was converted by Ash. Abbie levelled the scores before Grangetown turned over possession and an assured long-range effort from Abbie edged the home side in front for the first time.
 
Paige and Rochelle then combined well to narrow the gap and when Grangetown lost possession, Rochelle collected a rebound to being parity to proceedings.
 
8-8 became 12-12 with Vicky Rees producing a fine turnover and Abbie superbly gathering a bullet pass from Brie to score. Lovely interplay between Paige and Ellie Gibbons saw the wing attack feed Rochelle to edge the visitors in front.
 
Ash levelled, before Ellie delivered another fine pass to set up her shooter. At the other end of the court, Lindsay Keable nudged the ball out of play, but despite intense pressure from both visiting defenders, Abbie did well to claim the ball and find the net.
 
Jenny Mrozik picked off a speculative pass, and Ria Small bounced the ball to Ash whose successful shot rounded off a fine move.
 
Ellie’s neat turn saw her spin past her marker to set up New Cambell’s next goal, but a wayward pass then hit the wing attack in the back to give Grangetown possession. Abbie appeared to have the ball knocked out of her hand when attempting a shot, but the umpire ruled against the home side.
 
New Cambell then made a rare handling error to hand possession back to Grangetowm. Ash scored, but great strength under pressure by Rochelle was rewarded by the goal that separated the sides at the end of a pulsating opening quarter.
 
Grangetown immediately put the visitors under pressure, but New Cambell were comfortable in possession and were able to extend their lead to four goals before Ash’s delayed pass fooled both defenders and Abbie opened Grangetown’s account.
 
Lindsay then got a hand to a pass and earned possession as the ball touched Abbie on the way out of court. An overthrown pass bobbled into the grateful hands of Grangetown captain Vicky Rees, but the subsequent shot was missed, Lindsay collected the rebound and, after a quick transition down the court, Rochelle continued her impressive form under the net.
 
New Cambell’s lead fluctuated between three and four goals, but the best move did not actually result in a goal. Centre Beth Dix, who made her Super League debut for Wasps in March, exchanged passes with three separate team mates before feeding into the circle when the opening appeared. Unfortunately, an attacking contact call denied New Cambell the goal that Beth’s skill deserved, but after Ash had netted for Grangetown, Beth again showed excellent composure to deal with more intense defensive pressure and deliver a telling ball for another goal.
 
Paige then made a crucial contribution in mid-court, managing to sneak in front of Vicky to steal possession. The resulting goal was cancelled out by Abbie’s lovely disguised pass to Ash, and Vicky then completed another turnover from which Ash scored.
 
Ash ‘s next goal narrowed the gap to just one, but New Cambell doubled their advantage with a well-taken goal, although Jenny was unfortunate not to claim possession with a spectacular attempted flying interception.
 
Beth read a pass from her opposite number, but Ellie’s pass rebounded off the post and back to Grangetown. Abbie reduced the arrears and the next two goals were shared; but Grangetown missed an opportunity to level the scores and the half-time hooter sounded with New Cambell 30-31 to the good.
 
It had been an excellent half, played at a furious pace, with both sides showing attacking flair and great defensive intensity.
 
Abbie scored at the start of the third quarter, but as well as scoring from their next three centre passes, Linday and Steph Collard both secured turnovers and in a matter of moments, New Cambell were five goals in front. Ash bounced a pass across court to Ria and rushed into the circle to collect the return feed from her centre and score.
 
Grangetown continued to battle, but struggled to make inroads into the visitors’ lead. Brie was having a fine game at wing attack and she set up a number of chances, but after Ria’s interception allowed Ash to score, Lindsay got a touch to a pass and managed a backhand flick to a team mate to ensure the goal against the centre pass was immediately cancelled out.
 
At 35-43, New Cambell were very much in charge, but by the end of the period, the lead had been halved as Grangetown rallied once again. Rebecca Thompson, who was having a solid debut, was unlucky to be penalised as Ellie (now at goal attack) missed a lay-up shot, and when Abbie netted at the second attempt, the scoreboard read 42-46 as the hooter brought the quarter to a close.
 
Grangetown made a great start to the final period, with Rebecca and Vicky effecting a turnover and Ash’s movement attracting the attention of both defenders, which allowed Ria to loop the ball to an unmarked Abbie.
 
The lead was down to one after Abbie scored again, but Beth’s feed was well-collected by Rochelle who made no mistake with her shot. Ash netted from distance before Jenny claimed possession for the home side. Sensational play from Brie and Ash saw the new Manchester Thunder signing level the scores.
 
The momentum seemed to be all with Grangetown, but their next attack came to an abrupt end when Ash was penalised for what sounded like obstruction, despite no other player being close to her. It was a decision that baffled players and spectators alike, but New Cambell took full advantage before a well-disguised feed from Ellie to Rochelle gave the visitors a two-goal cushion.
 
Grangetown managed to secure possession only to be penalised by a “not set” call on the backline. The resulting goal was quickly cancelled out and Grangetown again got to within one goal; but hard as they fought, the hosts were unable to draw level and with time starting to run out, New Cambell stayed strong, punished every error and by full time, the visitors ran out winners 56-63.
 
It had been a thoroughly entertaining game, and although Grangetown’s performance was much-improved from their opening fixture, the final result was still disappointing. For New Cambell, they showed composure at the most crucial moments and deserved the win; but the final margin of seven goals belies how close a match this actually was.
 
Brie Grierson was Grangetown’s best performer on the day, but the player of the match was undoubtedly New Cambell’s Beth Dix, whose movement and passing were of the highest quality.

Grangetown’s started their second campaign in National Premier League 1 with a 48-54 home defeat to Tameside.
 
The two sides had finished fourth and fifth respectively last season, with Grangetown winning both fixtures; but in a hard-fought, physical encounter, it was the visitors who deservedly claimed the victory.
 
It had been a busy few months both on and off the court for Grangetown, with Ash Neal signing for reigning Super League champions Manchester Thunder, and Hannah Raine representing the England under 21 Nets squad in the recent world cup. Away from netball, Ireland defender Katie Walton got married during the summer, and her fellow international defender Genevieve Slater returned to the squad having given birth to a daughter in May.
 
The only new addition to the Grangetown squad for the opening fixture was Niamh McCall, a teenager who has played Super League for Strathclyde Sirens, as well as being a member of the Scotland squad for July’s World Cup.
 
The Tameside line-up included Beccy Hoult and Ally Thomas, who both had produced superb performances in last season’s corresponding fixture; and defender Paige Kindred, a former Super League team mate of Ash Neal at Team Northumbria.

The opening six goals were shared with Hannah Raine’s superb pass finding Abbie le Brocq free inside the Tameside circle. Hannah Williams and Ally Thomas combined well to bring the scores level, before Beccy Hoult’s feed to Ally provided the first goal against an opposition centre pass.
 
The teams then continued to trade goals, but a Grangetown miss was regathered by the visitors’ defence and the subsequent successful shot made it 6-9 to Tameside. Grangetown immediately replied following a Jenny Mrozik rebound, as Hannah Raine’s no-look pass to Ash Neal was bounced back to the Grangetown wing attack, who fed Abbie for the score.
 
Another incisive pass from Beccy Hoult set up Brogan Slicker, and Tameside extended their lead after Abbie was penalised after gathering a long ball under pressure from two defenders.
 
Ash Neal then produced the quarter’s best moment when she looked left, but passed right and found Abbie totally unmarked under the net. Ally Thomas netted right on the hooter and Tameside led 13-15 after the first 15 minutes.
 
The second period started with Ash netting from close range, before Abbie brought the scores level after gathering a rebound from possession gained by Katie Walton’s interception.
 
Frustratingly, a penalty from the Grangetown centre pass gifted the ball to Tameside, who took full advantage by scoring four unanswered goals. Ash Neal then drew the home side to within one goal by converting her next three shots, despite being put under pressure by a particularly physical visiting defensive unit.
 
Brogan Slicker was next to find the net, after Ally’s superb movement had attracted the attention of both Grangetown defenders, leaving the goal shooter completely free to continue her excellent scoring run.
 
Vicky Rees then produced a fantastic interception from a penalty, and her intervention was rewarded with a goal from Ash Neal. However, the Grangetown shooters were then guilty of a number of misses, whilst their Tameside counterparts were almost flawless in the circle and a one-goal lead was soon extended to five.
 
Whilst Grangetown struggled to cope with the visitors’ defensive intensity, their cause wasn’t helped by a number of poor decisions from the umpires; but the Tameside defenders simply played to the whistle and did a tremendous job of unsettling the home attack.
 
Tameside took a four-goal lead into half-time and their shooting accuracy was very much the difference between the teams.
 
Grangetown Head Coach Gel Williams made a number of changes during the interval; Niamh McCall was introduced at wing attack for her debut, Alice Currie replaced Abbie, and Gen Slater came on to partner Jenny Mrozik.
 
Grangetown started well and quickly halved the arrears, but Tameside showed great composure in creating and converting a number of opportunities. Twice Grangetown were penalised from their centre pass and twice Tameside moved the ball down court for their shooters to convert; and having missed a shot to make it a one-point game, Grangetown suddenly found themselves seven adrift.
 
The home side rallied and played some of their best netball with Niamh McCall and Ash Neal producing some excellent interplay to set up two quick goals. When Ria Small’s perfectly-weighted long feed found Alice Currie, the deficit was back to two. Ally Thomas was then forced to take a shot from long-range, Gen Slater gathered the rebound from a rare miss, but Grangetown spurned the subsequent opportunity, and it turned out to be a crucial miss as Brogan scored the next three goals to ensure Tameside maintained their four-goal advantage going into the final period.
 
To an extent the final quarter mirrored the previous 15 minutes as Grangetown kept pressing and fought their way back into the game, only for another vital miss to hand the initiative back to the visitors. The Tameside attacking trio of Hoult, Williams and Thomas were excellent throughout; they were quick around the court, but equally prepared to take their time and wait for the opening; and when the final hooter sounded, the visitors were good value for their 48-54 victory.
 
From Grangetown’s perspective the result was obviously disappointing, but there was much to enjoy and plenty of encouragement for the season ahead. Ash Neal was Grangetown’s best player on the day, but no one could argue with Ally Thomas being named Player of the Match, and this is what she had to say just a few minutes after the end of the game.
 
“I think we got the win today because we were patient. We only had eight players in the squad, which isn’t ideal for an away game, but collectively we were patient and we let the ball do the work.
 
“Some of us have played together for years now; it really works for us, as we know how each other plays, and where we’re going to be around the court…
 
“It was a physical game; netball always is, and it’s getting more physical and contested every year. It’s part of the game and we just have to get used to it...
 
“Overall, it’s a great start, but it’s a long season and we’ve got a lot of work to do. We’ll just keep pushing and trying to grind out the wins.
 
The Grangetown perspective came from Genevieve Slater: “I had a little girl back in May, so it’s probably about eight months since I last played for Grangetown. It’s hard to work on match practice without playing, but we’ve just got to get out on court, work hard and push through.
 
“It feels so good to be back at Grangetown. The girls here are brilliant and obviously it’s hard for me to get over here [from Dublin] and train with them, but I always get such a lovely welcome when I come over. I think this is my fifth season here, so I’m definitely one of the oldies now; but I love it.
 
“We are disappointed with the loss. For a team that can’t always train together consistently, we did have some great passages of play; but we just made too many silly mistakes. We’d score a couple of goals on the run but unfortunately we didn’t keep our foot on the pedal when we needed to.”

​To be selected to play any sport for your country is a fantastic honour that very few people are able to experience; but to earn a full international cap before you’ve made your first start for your own club’s senior squad makes the achievement even more remarkable.
 
Yet for teenage netballer Erin Peters, that is exactly what has happened.
 
Erin’s progress towards her Ireland netball debut was actually even more unconventional, as prior to becoming an all-action mid-courter, she had been one of the finest gymnasts in the country in her chosen discipline.
 
“I did tumbling on a long mat,” Erin explained. “It’s not an Olympic event, but it’s really popular. I progressed through county, regional and through to national levels where you competed for a place in the top three in the country. I came third in my first year, second the year after, and finally won the competition in my third year, and it was after that when I decided to really concentrate on netball.
 
“I joined a local team in Stockton, but moved to Grangetown after Faye [Johnston] saw me, and said I should come and play at Grangetown. I’ve been part of the club for about two years now, but after training here for about a year, I was lucky enough to get a scholarship to Queen Ethelburga’s School near York, where Tuaine [Keenan] is one of my coaches. Grangetown have been so supportive and now I’m playing for Ireland … it’s all happened so fast and it’s quite hard to take in.”
 
Erin admitted that she’d also done a lot of cross country running, at which point I thought it was reasonable to ask: “Is there anything you’re rubbish at?
 
“Football… and rugby,” Erin giggled.
 
Just the two sports then … my fault for asking!
 
Erin is the second English-based Grangetown player (after Katie Walton) to be drafted into the Ireland squad, but how did she become involved in the Irish set-up?
 
“A while ago, the Ireland squad travelled over to play a match against Grangetown, and I had a call asking if I could play in the game; so, I came down and played as part of the Grangetown squad. After the match, everyone was shaking hands and saying ‘well played’, and one of the Ireland players jokingly said: ‘It’s a shame you don’t have any Irish relatives; you’d really fit in well to our squad.’
 
“’Actually, I do!!’
 
“We chatted some more and then Joan [Young, Ireland coach] came over to talk to me. We stayed in touch and about six months later, Joan invited me to a training session. I’ve only been over to Ireland twice for training, and played with the girls on just three occasions. I had the chance to play in friendly matches against Northern Ireland in Belfast, and then a weekend playing against the Armed Forces in Portsmouth; but the third time was the Netball Europe tournament in the Isle of Man, where I made my full debut.”
 
It's quite a big deal to fly to train with a group of people, some of whom you’ve met (briefly) once, but the majority you don’t know at all. How did Erin find that experience?
 
“My parents are both from Northern Ireland, as are nearly all my family, so I thought I was used to the accent, but when I first went across, there were a couple of girls I found it quite hard to understand!
 
“Everyone was so friendly though. I got to know them much better the second time I went across when we were in a match situation. Jan [Hynes] took me under her wing; she was lovely. There are also a couple of other English-based girls in the squad, and obviously I knew Billy [Katie Walton] and Genevieve [Slater] from Grangetown, which really helped.
 
“Then I met Fran [Duffy] who was quite close to my age. She was studying at Manchester and has since joined Grangetown too. Everyone’s been great and made me feel so welcome, and that made it much easier when I joined the squad for the Euros.”
 
There must have been nerves before that first game though?
 
“Definitely. I was selected for the opening game against the Cayman Islands and I was really anxious beforehand. I was picked to start at wing attack, and that was a bit of added pressure because if you start at centre, you don’t have to cross the line, you just have to pass the ball; so I was thinking ‘get over the line … second phase…’ and things like that. The girls told me I would be fine; that I knew what I was doing, and I’d relax once the match got underway … but yes, I was very nervous before the game…
 
“We got ready in the changing rooms then there was a pre-warm-up area where we could do some stretches and Niamh [Murphy] and I could discuss tactics. After that we went into the main arena for the warm-up, which was really the time to get rid of any nerves. If you’re going to drop a ball or throw a bad pass, do it in the warm-up then everything should be fine when the game gets underway.”
 
Ireland have traditionally been strong in the attacking mid-court positions. Captain Niamh Murphy led the team at the Euros, and recent squads have also included top-class players such as Kirsty Owens and Trish Fanning, but Erin acquitted herself superbly throughout the tournament. I was interested to know what Erin thought about featuring alongside one of Ireland’s finest ever netballers?
 
“Playing with Niamh is just amazing; she’s obviously very experienced and I feel really confident when I’m on court with her. Even though we’ve not played together very much, I think we combine well and just seem to click whether it’s on the circle edge, centre passes or channels; and she’s great at passing on advice and helping to improve my game.”
 
The next question showed the kind of probing insight that you just don’t get from professional interviewers: Did you ever consider showing off and doing one of your tumbling routines?
 
I reminded Erin of Kadeen Corbin’s famous back flips down the court after England had won Commonwealth gold last year. Erin laughed: “Next time we win, I’ll give Corbin a run for her money!”
 
Remember where you read it first.
 
Reflecting on her first taste of competitive international netball, what was the highlight? “That first game, the first experience; that was definitely the highlight because I didn’t know exactly what to expect…
 
“I thought the team played really well against Emirates too,” Erin continued, “but all the games provided us with new challenges. The Gibraltar match was the hardest; they’d watched our earlier games and were able to stop us playing to our strengths; it was tough, but you can really learn from games like that.”
 
I had managed to watch some of the action on the live stream and the commentators had a lot of positive things to say about the Stockton-based teenager. Was Erin aware of the compliments her performances were receiving?
 
“I had no clue. I don’t think I realised how big the tournament really was until we sat down to dinner on the Thursday night, and the girls told me that what the commentators had been saying. I rang my Mum and told her the games were being streamed, and she tuned in for every match after that - my family in Ireland were watching too. Mum would ring me on an evening to tell me what had been said, and obviously we had to watch some of the games back to review our performances. It was so weird hearing my name, and realising it was me that they were talking about.”
 
Having only played a few minutes in one Prem 1 game, how big was the jump from club to international netball?
 
“From club to country was a massive step,” Erin admitted, “but I’d been lucky enough to be part of the Queen Ethelburga’s squad that had become under 19 schools champions last year – we finished fifth this year – and playing against some of the best netballers in the country in your age group was great preparation for Ireland. The standard is so high and when you’re exposed to all those amazing players, that’s when you start to see if you’ve got the ability to step-up when it really matters.
 
“Although I haven’t really been involved much with the Grangetown Prem squad on matchdays yet, I have been able to train with the squad, which has been brilliant. The training is fantastic and that has also played a big part in being able to manage the transition into the Ireland squad.”
 
So, is the Prem 1 squad one of Erin’s goals?
 
“Of course. I definitely want to try and play Prem. I’m moving to university in Nottingham in September, but the games are on a weekend, so I’ll stay affiliated to Grangetown and hopefully if there’s an opportunity to play Prem 1, that’s something I’d love to do.
 
“I’ve also got the chance to have trials for Loughborough Lightning under 19s and 21s, so I’ll be trying to get involved with a franchise as well; and with Uni, Ireland, Grangetown and hopefully Loughborough, the competition levels will be amazing, and all being well, I’ll be able to keep improving my game. Certainly, if I got into the Prem squad at Grangetown, it would be a big achievement.”
 
Erin’s only appearance for the Prem 1 squad came when she was brought on towards the end of last season’s home fixture against eventual champions Oldham. Marking Erin that day was Laura Malcolm, who played such a major role in Manchester Thunder’s recent Super League Grand Final success. Kerry Almond and Kathryn Turner, both so influential in that final against Wasps, were also on court for Oldham; it’s hard to imagine a much better club side, or a harder introduction.
 
“I didn’t have much court time,” Erin recalled, “I think it was about five minutes, but Gel wanted to give me the experience and it was great. Oldham were top of the league and it was really tough, but it was also good to see just how high the standard was and what I’ve got to aim for.”
 
Back to the Euros and one of the things that stood out was Erin’s pace and movement around the court. Is Erin’s speed her biggest asset?
 
“Yes, it’s definitely my main strength, but I work hard on my stamina too, so I can maintain my speed throughout the whole game and not just for a couple of quarters. I like having a lot of running room, and moving my marker around the court as much as I can. That’s certainly my style of play and I think that when I was playing alongside Fran and Niamh at the Euros, we were able to inject some pace into our attacking play and get the ball down court really quickly.”
 
Erin Peters is clearly a gifted and confident athlete; she is also an outgoing and engaging young woman, who has already achieved so much in the sporting arena; but from a netball perspective, what does the future hold?
 
“I just want to work hard, play as well as I can for Grangetown, Ireland and hopefully Loughborough; and see where all that takes me. I’ll go to the under 19 and under 21 trials at Loughborough, so that I can come up against players that are two or three years older than me. That will give me a good idea of my strengths and the areas that I need to work on. The long-term ambition is Super League, but whatever happens I am so grateful to Grangetown for giving me such a good attitude to the game, and a desire to become the best player I possibly can.”

It was hard to know how to react as the final hooter brought an end not only to Grangetown’s fixture at Leeds Athletic, but also to the club’s first season in Prem 1.
 
The scoreboard read 53-40 in favour of the hosts; a deserved victory for a Leeds side that has been so impressive throughout the second half of the season.
 
Initially, there was an element of disappointment at the result … at the last three results in fact; three consecutive defeats coming after only five losses in the first 15 games of the campaign.
 
There was also a slightly surreal feeling that the season was over – all the preparation, the training, the travelling, and eighteen hugely competitive games – the past six months or so has simply flown by…
 
Then comes the time to reflect.
 
Two successive promotions (including one championship) had seen Grangetown elevated from a very good club, to one of the elite. It was always going to be a massive step, and unsurprisingly the pre-season aspiration was simply to perform well enough to stay in the top flight.
 
The reality was so much better…
 
Only four sides won 10 or more of their 18 fixtures; champions Oldham, runners-up New Cambell and Viper 10 Blades. Three outstanding sides. The fourth?
 
That would be Grangetown.
 
Some sparkling performances at home, and perhaps more importantly on the road, saw Grangetown essentially (albeit not mathematically) safe by Christmas. In a division littered with Super League stars, it was an almost unheralded club from just outside Middlesbrough that surprised many an established Prem 1 squad; and their top-four finish was just reward for the time and effort invested both on and off the court.
 
However, with success comes expectation, and once the reflection is over, the next stage is to focus fully on 2019/20. I have no doubt that plans for next season are already underway, but given the relative remoteness of the club to any Super League franchises, attracting top quality athletes to the north east to complement and enhance an already fine squad is no easy task…
 
But that is the challenge faced by Grangetown if they are to build on the foundations laid over the past three years, and maintain their remarkable progress from relegation to Prem 3 in 2016 to becoming the fourth best club in the country less than three years later.
 
As far as the game at Leeds is concerned, Grangetown started slowly, but showed their customary determination to get back into contention during the second quarter. Unfortunately, their offensive play was less cohesive than usual, possession was turned over on too many occasions, and from being in a situation where they could and should have been on terms, the visitors found themselves six goals adrift and Leeds were playing far too well to relinquish that kind of advantage.
 
My Grangetown Player of the Match was Tuaine Keenan, who produced several moments of pure class in defence, less than 24 hours after helping her Loughborough Lightning side to a dramatic one-goal Super League win over Severn Stars.
 
The most notable cameo came from Nicole Malloy who certainly made an impact when she was given a chance at goal attack. As for the individual moment of the game, that was undoubtedly a sublime interception by Vicky Rees; a wonderful piece of anticipation and athleticism that brought the Grangetown bench to its feet.
 
For Leeds, goal shooter Vanessa Williams was superb from the first minute to the last; she was strong, agile and unerringly accurate throughout. At the other end of the court, Alice Smith looked an outstanding athlete, and had a fine game in defence.
 
For Grangetown, it may have been a result to forget, but for the amazing squad, and everyone involved with the club, the 2018/19 season is one that will live long in the memory.

It takes a talented athlete to come to a new (and newly promoted) netball club, to quickly settle in both on and off the court, and be able to play so consistently well that she becomes a regular in the starting seven…
 
Claudia Heath is undoubtedly a talented athlete.
 
Her performances at wing defence have been outstanding during Grangetown’s quite remarkable debut season in Prem 1; but aged just 21 Claudia is also one of the younger members of the squad.
 
In fact, Claudia was a relatively late starter in netball terms: “I didn’t play netball until the end of primary school, when I was around 11 or 12. I loved all sports, and up until then I did a lot of athletics and played football too. I come from quite a sporting family; my Dad [Billy] played professional football and he is currently the manager at Alfreton Town [who play in the National League North].
 
“I think I was picked out to try netball because I was so tall for my age. I thought I’d give it a go and everything just happened from there really…
 
“I grew up in Hull and I played at a club there until I was about 14, when I joined Leeds Athletic; and I played for Leeds until I moved to Grangetown.”
 
That must have involved a lot of travelling?
 
“It did, but my parents have been brilliant. They’d take me all over the country to games and trials. They’ve always been so supportive…
 
“But when I left school, I went to Uni in Leeds. I love the city, and it was the place where I really wanted to go to study. Obviously that made things easier with the netball, but even though I’ve got a lot of good friends at the club, I felt it was time for a change at the end of last season…”
 
It was clear that Claudia was about to explain how she joined Grangetown; but that was actually the next question on my professionally-compiled list. Every time I do an interview, half of my questions seem to get answered before I get the chance to ask them; but I did the honourable thing … interrupted and asked anyway.
 
Claudia it’s back over to you…
 
“Brie [Grierson] told me about Grangetown. And I also knew Abbie [Le Brocq] from Team Northumbria, and they both spoke highly about the club, so I thought I’d come along and see for myself. Gel [Williams] was so lovely. Everyone made me feel welcome, even before I’d officially joined, so the decision to come to Grangetown was a no-brainer for me.”
 
Claudia has also gained international honours, having represented England at U19 and U21 levels; the highlight being a tour to Jamaica with the U19s. I was interested to know if any members of the squad had progressed into Super League: “Amy Carter is at Manchester Thunder. There’s Iona Darroch down at Severn Stars, and Amy Clinton who’s just joined Loughborough. They’re all doing really well.”
 
So do you have Super League ambitions of your own?
 
“Maybe in the future. I’m in the third year of my PE degree at the moment, and I’m going to do a Masters in social work after that, so I always knew that this year in particular was going to be really difficult; and I’d have to concentrate hard on my studies to make sure I do well. So as far as netball is concerned, whilst I’m still doing a lot of training, I wanted to make sure I had the right balance between course work and sport, but also be relaxed enough to really enjoy my netball – and that’s certainly the case with Grangetown.”
 
So how does a typical week look?
 
“Most days I’m training at seven in the morning, before doing a full day at college, then more training on an evening, either with the Uni squad, or with Grangetown on a Tuesday. This week I’ve got to go down to Cardiff for a day too, so that’s another early start. I usually get the chance to relax a bit on a Saturday, before Prem on the Sunday.
 
“So I don’t have a lot of spare time, but I think I’ve got the balance right, and I’m having such a great time at Grangetown!
 
“Like I said, everyone made me feel so welcome, and I felt part of the club right from the beginning. I’m happy with how I’m playing; I certainly don’t feel stressed out on court - in fact I’m loving every minute!”
 
Is wing defence your preferred position?
 
“I do love playing there, but for most of my career I played at goal keeper or goal defence. It just happened that there were a lot of defenders in the Uni squad, so I took the chance to try and push forward, and it’s worked out pretty well so far.
 
“We’re lucky at Grangetown because we’ve got so much strength in our defence; it doesn’t matter which combination is out on court, Tuaine [Keenan], Billy [Katie Walton], Jenny [Mrozik], or Gen [Slater] when she was here, they are all fantastic players, and I feel confident whoever is on court behind me.
 
“Of course it was a blow when we lost Gen at Christmas, but we’re all looking forward to seeing her again after she’s had her baby. A Grangetown baby … it’s so exciting!”
 
For some reason, wing attack seems to be a particularly strong position in the majority of Prem 1 squads, but of all the players that Claudia has faced during her time with Grangetown; does one in particular stand out?
 
“Yes. It was Georgia Lees, who plays for New Cambell and Mavs [Saracens Mavericks] in Super League. She was definitely the toughest opponent I’ve faced; she was so quick, and so agile; I was in awe of her really.”
 
If you haven’t read my report on the New Cambell game, I can confirm the young lady in question most certainly is that Georgia Lees!
 
Although that game ended up as a heavy defeat, there have been very few set-backs during what has been a quite remarkable season. The best news of all is now that Grangetown are mathematically safe from relegation, even Head Coach Gel Williams is confident that just one more win will guarantee survival…
 
But in Claudia’s opinion, what has been the squad’s best performance?
 
“The win away at Academy was definitely a highlight. We went down to London, a five or six hour journey, without our Super League players, to face a side that is always challenging near the top of the table – and we came away with the win.
 
“We worked so hard and deserved the win. The result was probably seen as a massive shock though, and maybe it made some of the other teams sit up and take notice. Obviously we’re stronger with Ash [Neal], Brie and Tuaine in the squad, any side would be, but we showed that we can perform without them; so it’s probably that performance that really stands out.”
 
You’ve still got to visit your former club before the end of the season; how do you look at the final few fixtures; and what are your plans going forward?
 
“I’m looking forward to going back to Leeds, but we’re going there for the win. We don’t just want to finish mid-table after all the work we’ve put in; we all feel that we’re capable of finishing fourth, so we’ve got to make sure we maintain our performance levels for the final few games.
 
“As far as next season is concerned, I definitely want to stay at Grangetown – I’ve enjoyed this season so much. I don’t know if there’ll be many changes in the squad, but even though we’ve had an amazing season, every squad will be looking to improve and that’s what we must try to do as well…”
 
At this point, the extremely poor phone signal was lost for the third (and final) time, and with our conversation at an end, I was absolutely certain of two things.
 
Claudia Heath: talented athlete … unreliable phone.