The Southerners Gold netball team was this season made up of a raft of newbies to Bangkok. Despite not playing together before, the girls managed to climb their way into the top three of the Bangkok Netball League’s 2nd division. The team’s skipper Alisa has more…
The season started with many changes for Southerners Gold (SOG). Our captain Cat Beach moved up a division and as current players filed out, we were left with only two members. Despite this, the future looked bright for SOG as our first team gathering saw 7 new and spirited ladies keen for netball and a good time. Including the old (but young) players, we were able to pull together a team of 9 members, which later grew to an impressive 12 when the magnetism of SOG attracted 3 more players in the second half of the season!
Having never played together we didn’t know what to expect stepping on court for the first game. What followed was a pleasant surprise when we scored a clear cut victory in the first few games, 30 – 5 in the first and 20 – 5 in the second. Off to an amazing start! This might have to do with the fact that we did recruit some very experienced Brits, Aussies, two marathon runners, an uncompromising Canadian and stashed a secret weapon in the form of a very fit P.E. teacher.
With 12 strong members we were lucky to only have to forfeit one game during the entire season. Injury does befall the best of us and two of our players contracted ankle/foot injuries during a particularly rough game. Another member seemed to be safest while on court, collecting lesions only when outside the NIST walls! Despite these setbacks the ladies still came to play or cheer. Their persistence and dedication to the team made a big difference and truly contributed to the team spirit.
Speaking of team spirit, this season was all about that. Encouragement and support both on and off the court.
On court, the 3 second rule didn’t faze as you knew someone somewhere would be doing a series of sneaky moves to get free. Anyone doing a good pass, block, shot or tumble to the ground could expect to hear a loud cheer, clap or friendly taunt – “Andddd.. she’s down”.
Off court, I’m happy to claim our team the loudest of the lot, especially in the finals where our lung power became apparent to everyone on courts 1, 2 and 3. With our team spirit soaring through the roof, SOG was carried to third position in the final rankings.
The last couple of games really showed to us our true potential, and I’m really excited to see what fun and games we’ll come to achieve as a team in the next season!