Netball – Scotland’s National League highlights

The National League began its new season in Glasgow at the Emirates Arena on Sunday with Edinburgh teams playing a big part in this sport which is growing in recognition.

Players included seasoned national players such as Emily Nicholl and Claire Maxwell and rising stars such as Jazmine Moore from the U21 squad.

Edinburgh University defeated their Glasgow counterparts by a convincing 52 to 24.

Edinburgh University’s Head Coach, Trish Wilcox said: “Our goal this season is to be competitive against every team, this is the top competition in Scotland with the best players in the best clubs.” It’s evident that every match in this league is not just about the final whistle but about growth, exposure, and development.

Kelly Boyle, the Head Coach of Glasgow University, who recently transitioned into the role, commended her team’s resilience and adaptability. She said: “Playing at this level in Scotland is what we want and it is what we need to develop so I am proud and we stood up to the challenge today.”

Saltires, bolstered by their performance, reduced the margin of their last meeting’s 13-goal loss against Edinburgh Accies to just three. Lucy Gaw, a U21 Scotland star and pivotal player for Saltires, reflected on their improved performance: “We just stuck our structures, played our own game and it was a really good physical game today.

I think a performance like that is great for us as a team heading into the National League this season; We have improved so much since last season; our last meeting was a 13-goal loss to Accies, and this was just 3 today.”

Jo Pettitt of Edinburgh Accies resonated with the intensity of the competition and said: “It was a very close game from start to finish… I don’t think you can be surprised in the National League with teams putting up that number of goals; we knew they’ve had very strong shooters.”