Columba College 9A and 10A netball teams had an early start on Sunday morning, to make their way to Timaru for the annual Roncalli Netball Tournament. Despite the misty and arctic conditions at the courts to start the day, the tournament offered a timely warm up for the South Island Secondary Schools Junior Netball Champs in July.

It was a 7am departure for our Junior netball teams on Sunday morning as they loaded the minivans and headed north to compete in the annual Roncalli Netball Tournament. 

With the first round of games starting at 10am, both the 9A and 10A teams had a big day ahead with five games each on their draw.

Columba 9A: This was another great opportunity for our 9A team to gain valuable tournament experience, and grow further together as a team. With confidence slowly improving each week, student coaches Rachael Turner and Bridget Smith reported that the team played their "best game of the season so far" on Sunday. What a great way to build momentum for the upcoming champs in Christchurch. Well done team! Keep working hard and results will surely start to come your way soon.

Columba 10A: The 10As had a fantastic day at the Roncalli Tournament. Contending with fog, wind (and eventually sun!), it was all a new experience for this team who play their weekly games indoors at the Edgar Centre. The new challenges were met with gusto and it was great for the 10As to play some different schools in their build up to the South Island Netball Champs in a few weeks. The team played five games across the day and came away from the tournament unbeaten. Their impressive results on Sunday were as follows:

31 - 6 vs Craighead College

18 - 6 vs St Hilda’s Collegiate

25 - 10 vs Roncalli College

26 - 6 vs Ashburton College

22 - 1 vs Timaru Girls High School

Congratulations, 10A team! Another wonderful performance as you prepare for the exciting challenge that lies ahead in Christchurch. The competition will no doubt be fierce, so keep training hard! 

Big thanks to our amazing coaches Jo Morrison, Rachael Turner and Bridget Smith, and to our super team managers Kylie Cashmore and Jane Walker. Thank you also to the parents and family members who came out to support our teams and enjoy a fun day out at the courts!

We wish both teams all the very best at the SISS Champs. Go well!