GDST Trust Netball Tournament 2023

Spirits were high as 17 of us from Year 6 gathered in the Discovery Zone with our luggage for the long awaited Condover adventure! When we arrived at the coach, we met the Year 8s and bustled on together. The journey was long but we kept ourselves busy by chatting, playing games and watching films. When we stopped at the service station, we were able to buy some snacks and stretch our legs before the journey continued.

Seeing the gates to Condover Hall, we all shouted with excitement and couldn’t wait to explore. Once we had been shown to our dorms and been given a tour, we were able to take part in different activities around the grounds. I couldn’t believe the variety, which ranged from crawling through tunnels to climbing the high ropes. My favourite by far was the leap of faith (where we had to test our nerve by climbing up a high pole to a small platform and jumping out to catch a hanging bar).

Next up was dinner where we enjoyed a lovely meal of fish and chips with all the other GDST schools who were going to be competing in the netball tournament the following day. Afterwards, we were able to enjoy abseiling, ziplines and trapeze. By the end of the evening, we were all exhausted and ready to collapse into our beds.

Saturday morning was very busy! After a breakfast of toast, cereal and pastries, we set off to Shrewsbury Leisure Centre where both our U11 A and U11 B teams played six exciting netball matches. We were really proud of how we did: our A team won all six and our B team won 5 and drew one.

Saturday afternoon and evening were spent doing laser tag, dancing at the silent or not-so-silent discos or relaxing in our rooms. Unsurprisingly, after such an eventful day, and to the relief of our teachers, we dropped off to sleep with no trouble at all.

Sunday breakfast was a tasty array of yogurts, beans or egg on toast and more cereal. First thing in the morning we did yet more outdoor activities, whilst our Year 8s were off battling for first place in their netball tournaments. Later, it was our turn to go into battle. Our B team played three more matches, winning two and losing one of them. Meanwhile, our A team won two more matches to progress to the semi-final of their tournament. This was a particularly tense game; we were losing but made a brilliant comeback, eventually winning 5-4 against Wimbledon High! We then beat Kensington Prep 11-6 in an exciting final, ending the day as A team champions and the B team runners-up. We were delighted with our efforts but were sad that such a fun, memorable and successful weekend was all over. Thank you to all our teachers for training us and giving up their time to make this possible.

Naomi T
Year 6