Mavericks U15s Seal Third Place finish at National Academy Tournament.

Last weekend, our U15 National Academy side competed in the National Academy tournament in Walsall, where they picked up a third place finish.

Players and staff went down up Friday afternoon, where, they had a nutrition session and a training session led by our very own Vitality Rose and Pathway Product, Ellie Rattu.

Saturday morning saw the side play their first game against Manchester Thunder. The team played their hearts out and the starting seven played throughout, securing a five goal victory. That winning feeling continued soon after, with a 33-17 win against North-East Netball.

The afternoon session followed, with a highly competitive match against Severn Stars. After a nail biting first quarter, Mavericks eventually pulled away to secure a 30-18 win.

A match against Scotland followed to round off the day, with the side knowing that a victory would see them advance to the semi-finals. If there were any nerves beforehand, they certainly weren't on display on court, as Mavericks deliver a consummate display to take a huge 39-10 victory.

That result ensured that Mavericks moved into Sunday's semi-finals, where they would come up against local rivals Surrey Storm. In a tough match, Mavericks were just edged out of a final berth, instead having to pick themselves up and go in search of a bronze medal. Such were the results throughout the rest of the competition, that Mavericks would again face Manchester Thunder.

Ahead of the final match, the Team Managers played a motivational video for the group and it seemed to do the trick in a match that had everything. From the first whistle to the last 30 seconds, it went goal for goal, with a vocal crowd cheering on both teams. With Mavericks clinging to a two-goal lead, a crucial turnover in the final thirty seconds proved to be enough, as the side held on to secure a heart-stopping 32-30 victory and with it, third place.

The side were presented with their awards at the trophy presentations, alongside our very own Gracie Smith, who was named as the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. A creative and clinical mid-court player, Gracie was phenomenal in defence and attack throughout the weekend.

Charlotte Webster, was also named as the Mavericks Coaches' Player of the Tournament after, a series of resilient and determined performances at Goal Defence.

The side was led by Becky Trippick as Head Coach, with Vicky Sweeting and Sachel Grant as Assistant Coaches and Emily Drackford as Team Manager.

Assistant Coach and Pathway Manager Grant took the time to pay tribute to everyone involved, after a fantastic weekend of action.

"What an amazing feeling. The result is one that we’re all extremely proud of. I want to say congratulations to all the players, the staff and the supporters. We also extremely thankful to those who had been training with us since January and  then in June."