We were delighted to welcome back a number of Old Suttonians and past parents for the OS vs School Netball fixture on Saturday. A strong OS team featuring players who left the School between 2011 and 2020 faced the School’s current 1st VII. The match, contesting the Worsfold Cup, is played annually (albeit last year’s fixture had to be cancelled due to lockdown restrictions) and is always a tightly-contested match. The OS squad, arguably the strongest they have fielded since the fixture was reinstated in the OS sporting calendar in 2018, were determined to retain the trophy after a convincing victory in 2020. We are grateful to Katherine Sawyer (Upper Sixth) for the following match report:

"The first quarter saw the 1st VII girls take a back foot, being our first time of the season playing indoors and with a crowd, it was a bit of a shock. Equally, the OS team started strongly, showing us what we had to compete against – Lydia Davies (2015 H), who captained the team, showcased her faultless shooting and it meant we knew we had our work cut out. The first quarter ended 20-3 to the OS team.

After a slight change in position and the girls’ nerves dying down slightly, the next quarter showed a more evenly-matched game. With the SVS girls moving the ball better down the court, we had many more opportunities at goal. This made the second quarter slightly closer.

The second half saw an improvement from the 1st VII, although still not at the top of our game, we made improvements in the right direction. The OS girls' defence, particularly from Ella Carter (2020 H) and Anna Harrison (2020 H), made it hard to progress our chances. The score ended 51-29, which was representative of the OS team’s high standard. This match was a great experience for us, giving us the chance to improve by playing against an older team, and showing where we need to improve." 

The afternoon’s events culminated in a trophy presentation led by SVS Foundation President, Douglas Horner DL (1962 M). We were also delighted to have Naomi Worsfold (SVPS Staff 1983-2010), who had originally donated the cup in 1995, on hand to present the trophy to Lydia. It proved all the more meaningful as she had taught Lydia, along with three other members of the OS team, whilst they were at SVPS in the mid-2000s.

Our thanks go to everyone who came along to watch the game, but especially to the OS team - Victoria Barnden (2015 H), Jenna Boltman (2020 H), Aimee Burnham (2011 H), Ella Carter (2020 H), Elizabeth Copping (2014 H), Charlotte Crouch (2014 L), Lydia Davies (2015 H), Amelia Gaston (2016 L), Anna Harrison (2020 H) and Katie Latter (2016 F, Staff 2020-Present).