UEL's netball squad celebrate their success

UEL 68 St Mary’s 19

UEL’s women created history when beating St Mary’s to win the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Netball Plate.

The victory saw them become the first netball team from UEL to win the trophy and secure an impressive double, having already won the league title during an unbeaten campaign.

Captain Alice Clark said: “We worked really hard the whole season and I’m really glad we came out on top. We really wanted this, it’s the perfect reward.”

UEL dominated the game from the first whistle and by the end of the first quarter had a 15-3 lead.

St Mary’s didn’t have an answer to the movement and relentless scoring by Claire Smith and the player of the match, goal attack Eleanor Clark.

The hunger and desire of UEL was obvious as they turned the screw on their opponents, with the introduction of Dani McFarlane ensuring the scoreboard continued to tick over.

By half time the home side had stretched their lead to 31-8 and UEL’s footwork and precision passing were sharp throughout.

St Mary’s seemed to be constantly chasing shadows and when they did find themselves in possession of the ball they found UEL’s Mary-Ann Ramsey tenacious in defence, eliminating scoring opportunities.

Despite a large following at SportsDock, St Mary’s began to tire but there was no let up in UEL’S performance as they totally outclassed their opponents from the division above securing the historic win.

UEL’s Dean of the School of Arts and Digital Industries, Professor Catherine Harper, who attended the momentous match to present the winners with their medals, said: “I couldn’t be prouder of the girls and UEL sports people, they are a credit to the university.”