Nerine make it big

NERINE TRUST RANGERS have made big-time netball. Gill Queripel's side qualified for next season's National Clubs League with a skilful, back-breaking and determined showing in Kettering on Saturday.

Despite losing the first of seven 20min. matches the Guernsey champions placed joint-first and will have two championships to contest from September - the local Commodore League and Division Seven of the NCL.

'The girls have done so well, they have played so hard,' said an ecstatic coach afterwards.

'We are the first Channel Islands team ever to play in the National Clubs League and it's a big thrill,' she said.

Nerine won even though they finished without the tournament minus star player Jenny Jordan.

Already without Dawn Browning, her regular shooting partner, Nerine lost the key player when she came down on top of another player's foot and badly twisted an ankle.

While her team-mates spent the evening celebrating Jordan was in Southampton General Hospital awaiting an X-ray which, several hours later, revealed no break.

The day's competition opened with Nerine losing 9-12 to Justahead from east Portsmouth.

'We should never have lost. We had all the game but just couldn't score,' said the coach.

'They were a physical team and we knew they were going to be one of our hardest opponents and for that reason we weren't totally despondent.'

The setback served only to inspire Nerine who then reeled off six wins on the bounce, beating Roman Glass 17-13, Phoenix 11-10, Thorobreds 13-12, Old Chelts 17-12 and Telstar 18-12.

Shipley had withdrawn and therefore Nerine were given a walkover.

'It was two hours of flat-out netball,' said Queripel.

'That is a heck of a lot of netball, but we used our nine players wisely.'

Romanglass also qualified, having finished on the same number of points as the Guernsey champions.