What could be a better way of starting the Easter holiday than with an International Netball Festival. Teams travelled from near and far with a fantastic 15 overseas and 3 local teams participating in what can only be described as very competitive netball. We were also very privileged to accommodate 8 independent, All England Netball B and A umpires to officiate play, alongside Tournament Referee Mary Slade. The Fifth Annual Manx Netball Sports Club Challenge Series, held at the National Spots Centre and supported by the Isle of Man Department of Tourism & Leisure, began on Saturday with each of the 18 teams vying for position in order to secure a place in the Challenge Cup. And what a fantastic start, the games were fast paced and hotly contested. This was a very exciting event and it was clear a good time was had by all as the many smiles revealed. All games were played in an amiable manner and players were even able to squeeze in a little of the glorious Manx sunshine between matches. Teams were ranked by results and split for a second day of competition in either the Cup or Plate fixtures. All teams went out for the win with many closely matching their competitors’ score. As the day drew on, the tension grew ever evident as team mates and coaches roared from the sidelines, cheering at every net, as their hopes either neared fruition or fell hopelessly away. Anticipation mounted as the teams eagerly awaited the all important results. The Challenge Cup was awarded to Ormskirk; second placed local team Route 1 took away the runner up trophy and DMH earned a very respectable third place. The Challenge Plate was awarded to Wyke 2 and Gemma Saunders, Goal Defence for DMH was nominated Player of the Tournament for her overall play, attitude on court and good umpiring skills. A prize pot totalling ?1,500 was also up for grabs thanks to the generosity of Helen Pope, Budgetmann and was divided between the top six placed teams. An event of this scale takes meticulous planning and preparations are already underway for 2012. Manx Netball President Pip Cross added “The tournament was hailed a tremendous success by all with many teams already securing their place for next years competition.” Thanks have been pouring in from the players. Eunice Miller commented how her team “absolutely loved it. We all want to come back and the umpiring was superb!” Dib Penrose confirmed “..great weekend all round – Galloway will be back next year!” Helen Richardson also offered “from all at DMH we had yet another brilliant year and can’t wait to see you all again.” The Manx Netball Association would like to take this opportunity to thank all those involved in ensuring the smooth running of yet another great annual festival. Thanks especially to everyone who made their way to the Isle of Man to take part in this excellent and dynamic event. Ends