ISSA netball: Vauxhall on a high after double win over St Catherine

Vauxhall High’s netballers are riding high after scoring a commanding double victory over St Catherine High on Wednesday in the final set of preliminary-round matches in the ISSA urban schoolgirls netball competition.

Playing in Zone E, Vauxhall’s juniors set the tone with a solid 21-13 win before the seniors sealed the sweep with an impressive 34-21 triumph over the defending champions.

In the senior top-of-the-table Zone E clash at St John’s Road, both teams entered unbeaten with four straight wins. However, the Clarence Ennis-coached Vauxhall unit made their intentions clear from early, storming to a 9-4 first-quarter lead. They maintained control throughout, extending the advantage to 15-7 at halftime and 26-14 after the third quarter before closing out a confident 13-goal victory.

The loss marked St Catherine’s first defeat in three years, ending their unbeaten run as three-time defending champions.

Coach Ennis was delighted with both victories, especially the senior performance.

“It is a very elated feeling, and we are exceedingly happy we came off with the win after they devastated us last year,” he said.

Ennis added that last season’s heavy defeat motivated the team.

“After losing last year we went back to the chalkboard, did our research, and it paid off. Vauxhall are on the rise, and we are top of the table winning all our games,” he said.

“We are humble and hungry. Our aim is to get back to the pinnacle when Vauxhall used to rule schoolgirl netball under coach Janet Guy. We are very happy and looking forward to continuing the momentum into the second round,” Ennis concluded.

There were also three big wins for the Tracy-Ann Griffiths-coached Wolmer’s Girls’ in Zone B, where they remained unbeaten this season . Their juniors, the defending urban and all-island champions, secured victories over Excelsior (32-15) and Waterford (58-4), while the seniors dominated Excelsior 57-9.