Penrith Bees Shine on International Stage
On Saturday 27th January, the youngest members of Penrith Netball Club took to the international court as team mascots at the recently-concluded Nations Cup. The competition was contested over four days between England, current world champions Australia, New Zealand, and Uganda. Australia came away with the trophy on Sunday afternoon, after putting out a dominant performance against England. New Zealand took third place, and Uganda finished in fourth. Penrith Netball’s ever-growing crop of ‘Bee Netballers’ are the youngest members of the club, ranging from five to nine years old. The Bee Netball initiative, led by England Netball, aims to encourage boys and girls into netball in a fun, friendly, and dynamic environment. In 2022, Penrith Netball Club was selected as one of only 127 trailblazer clubs nationwide to lead the Bee Netball movement across England. The group has gone from strength to strength since, and it is the only active Bee Netball team in Cumbria. Club chairwoman and Bees lead coach, Caroline Tyson, says “we have a brilliant and dynamic group of Bee Netballers, and it’s amazing that we offer netball sessions for everyone from the age of five upwards at Penrith. We are so pleased to be able to bring opportunities such as these to our youngest players. For many of them, it’s their first taste of international netball, so we hope we can inspire them, and show where netball can take them in the future.” The England Roses squad also included Cumbrian netballer and fan favourite, Helen Housby, amongst the roster. Housby has recently been awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours list, recognised for her services to netball. During England’s game against New Zealand on Saturday 27th, Bee Netballer Amelia was given the honour of walking out onto court with Housby. She says of her experience, “it was amazing to be on court with the England team, and Helen Housby especially!” After the match, the group were pleased to meet Housby’s teammates Eleanor Cardwell, Razia Quashie, and Funmi Fadoju, getting lots of photos with the international netball stars.
