Two out of three teams from Bancroft’s School and Redbridge are through to the regional finals of the National Schools Netball Tournament after qualifying from the county round (Essex Met) on Sunday.

The Under-14s and Under-16s had both finished as Redbridge Borough champions in the previous round and the Under-16s continued their progress with the Under-19s also joining them in the next stage.

All three teams played some fine netball against strong opposition and lost only three matches between them out of the 23 played.

The Under-19s had been shaken by the loss of two of their shooters, Lizzie Austin and Clarissa Cameron, but the team rallied and pulled off some great performances, including a 10-7 victory over Robert Clack.

The girls only lost one of their matches all day – a 10-5 defeat against old adversary Barking Abbey.

Under-19 captain Becky Mead said: “Although we had a slow start, we played some great netball with strong, quick passages of play showing that we were definitely one of the top teams on the day.”

The youngest team, the Under-14s, cruised through their round with a series of comfortable victories. They were defeated just once – losing 9-8 in a tight match against Wanstead High School

The Under-16s were involved in a fiercely competitive tournament and missed out on qualifying by a single goal, finishing third in their age group.

The next stage for the Under-19s and Under-14s is the regional finals, which take place in Kent on January 26.

Bancroft’s director of sport Dani Mugridge said: “All our players performed brilliantly throughout the day and there was some excellent teamwork displayed both on and off the court.”