Sarnians selected for U-19 'Super League'
A PAIR of Guernsey netballers have been picked for the junior version of the national Super League.
A PAIR of Guernsey netballers have been picked for the junior version of the national Super League. Zola Bourgaize, 18, and Lyndsey Bougourd, 17, were both selected for Team South when they went to trials in Aldershot earlier this week.
The newly-formed outfit competes in the National Talent League.
The competition is the under-19 version of the Super League, which is shown live on Sky Sports.
'To be honest, I'm extremely pleased and happy for both of us to be selected for Team South,' said Bougourd.
'It's an excellent chance for us both to play with new players who we don't normally play with and make many new friends. It also gives us a great opportunity to develop our netball skills as we go along, as the standard we will be playing against will be high.
'We went in with the attitude that we must do our best and it would be great to get through but if we weren't successful, then at least we enjoyed ourselves.
'So to actually be selected was amazing and we were both over the moon and are already looking forward to our first match.'
Bourgaize echoed her fellow island star's sentiments.
But she was not aware for what they had been trialling.
'I'm really pleased,' said Bourgaize.
'We didn't really know what we were going to trials for. They hadn't given us any information.
'I thought we were going to south region trials not the trials for Team South.'
Team South and West Midlands are two regions who have entered new teams into the league.
In just two months, the South have managed to get a squad, coaches, manager, training venue and kit.
Bourgaize and Bourgourd, who are products of the PWC Netball Academy, joined a training session for the new elite squad which doubled as a trial for them. Bourgaize was impressed with the standard.
All the players came from the south region.
'They were really good,' she said.
'It was a hard workout session.'
According to Bourgaize, half the 16-strong squad had already been selected. But at the end of the session, the two Sarnians were told that they had been picked as well.
Bougourd is a centre-court specialist while Bourgaize has lately been found in attack. However, Bourgaize played in defence at the trials and thinks that is where she will feature for the side.
'I had moved to goal shooter but they put me in defence and I hadn't played there in a few months,' she said.
'I do enjoy playing there.'
The duo will be expected to go to the UK for 11 training sessions during the season and for the nine league matches. It works out as a match every other week, with the first one against the Celtic Dragons on Friday 9 November in Wales.
'I'm really thrilled about it but I think we've got to put a lot of hard work in beforehand,' said Bourgaize.
Their local coach Gill Queripel is also a scout for the south region and had recommended them, although the players were already known to the South coaches.
'It is great for us to get someone in that tier - we are very pleased. It shows that our PWC Academy is definitely working.'