Pulborough netball team are the champions

JPCT 100913 Pulborough netball team go to championships. Photo by Derek Martin

Pulborough Netball Club took on seven other teams across the county in the Lancing Netball League this summer and achieved first place in the second division.

Team captain Su Dudman said the team won 11 matches out of 14 overall, from June to August this year.

She said: “Some of the bigger clubs have a lot more variety of players and they’re a lot younger than us, but then we came in and took them all by storm.”

Team member Jane Rowe said: “Although it had been quite a challenging league this year it was really good to know that we can do it. We’ve come a long way together.

“I thought we pulled it out of the bag quite nicely.”

The team currently have ten members (ten is the minimum required to qualify for the league) spanning ages 14 to 50, but Su makes it clear that it does not matter how old you are, ‘you’re only as old as you feel’.

The women will return in the winter league this month; this time competing in the first division.

“This is why we want new players,” said Su.

“A couple of our younger team mates are going back to university, so they’re going to be caught up in studying.”

Jane added: “It’s competitive, it’s good fun, it’s social and there are fitness benefits - it suits anyone.”

Set up by team member Gill King eight years ago, Pulborough Netball Club train for an hour each week at Lancing Manor Impulse Leisure.

“We’ve had other successes, but this is the best we have done,” said Gill. “So we’re all really happy.”

However, Jane and Su agreed that netball was still poorly advertised and carried the stigma of being a delicate sport.

Su said: “It’s very competitive and for a non-contact sport, can be pretty fast and full-on. Though I’ve seen women in their sixties that love it and still want to play.”

If you would like to join a winning team, regardless of your ability, contact Su on [email protected] or call 07896606774.

Jane added: “We like to see all ages, all sizes and all shapes. Just come along for fun.

“It’s also a great wind-down after work.”