Tuesday 13th July – Conquering the surf but not yet the netball

Breakfast Youth Hostel style – all girls creamed and watered, ready to surf.

Arrived at the Gold Coast and found Tower 36 and our typically hunky Australian surf instructors. What the girls saw in them the they don’t see in me I do not know !!! Well Ok the tan, the good looks, the youthfulness and the biceps but that’s only four things !!

Surf safety instruction complete – and then demonstration and practice on the shore looked so easy . . I was amazed how quickly the girls got the idea and NONE of them fell off at all !! This was going to be a breeze. For those who are not in the know there are 5 stages to surfing and they are very simple. Make sure your board is on the sand ( not the water ), lie down the central line, do a press up lifting you toes then count 1 2 3 and get up . . . back foot then front foot and balance with arms extended and lower the torso and look up. Easy really. After we had perfectly executed these drills the penguins ( see pictures ) waddled off to the surf and tried it in the sea. Great fun and hilarity with little success. Two or three had body boards and loved it. As the pictures I hope show we tried with some success.

Lunch was ace then the journey to Ipswich Girls Grammar for our opening fixture. Team were notified at breakfast and because of the timings – all three to be played at the same time – the girls were going to be stretched. In the end it was the Sopwith Camels ( JMS’s team ) that were to suffer. Only 7 players and in the excessive heat – sorry yes . . . . . yet again an Australian winter of 23°C !! was making us tire quickly.

Quick Match synopsis – ALL teams played incredibly well and seemed to gel virtually form the first whistle and kept up the pace for at least three quarters. The Sopwith’s fought to the bitter end but lost 11 – 17, the Hurricanes ( CMD’s second team ) lost 12 - 20 . . . . . . and the Spitfires ( FAW’S first team ) lost 21 – 40. If the truth be known the Spitfires were playing the school Open U.18 team and in no way did the score reflect the possession. It was only in the fourth quarter that fatigue really played a role and the opponents sheer ball handling skills were amazing. A great deal was learnt by all who watched. In fact rumour has it ALL the teams we played against were slightly older than us . . So JMS’ dream of everyone playing was a success with ALL his Sopwith’s playing for the whole match.

A tired yet excited squad returned to the Sports Centre to lick their wounds . . .

Shozza out