Playing in National Performance League tournaments were Anya Le Monnier, for Team Bath in the U21 section, and Lily Jones for Severn Stars in the U17 group.
Le Monnier helped Team Bath clinch silver, having beaten Wasps 84-31 in the semi-finals before going down to Manchester Thunder in a tight final, 51-48.
Le Monnier was a key player for Team Jets and Jersey before moving to England to complete her education with a netball scholarship – and has shown determination, total focus and commitment to overcome injury.
Having been selected for Team Bath U21s in December she was hit hard when a navicular stress fracture, a common injury in explosive sports that involve jumping, was diagnosed shortly afterwards. She faced a seven-month recovery with the first four of those months being completely non-weight bearing conditioning. The injury then required three more months of rehabilitation, involving weekly physio and pool sessions, with the move back into netball not taking place until a month before last weekend’s tournament.
Jones helped Severn Stars into third place in the U17 National Performance League tournament. Stars were second in their group and only just lost out to Surrey Storm in the semi-finals. A bronze medal was secured with a 40-25 victory over Wales.
Jones still has two more seasons in this age group and being selected for a top 3 U17 squad in the UK should provide further motivation for a youngsters who provides a full package of talent, hard work, commitment, sacrifice-making and positive attitude.
