RIBBLE Valley Netball Club netted a series of superb successes at Chorley Inferno’s Junior Tournament.

Nearly 80 girls from the club were in action at the big Horwich event with several of the younger players experiencing tournament netball for the first time.

Fighting off competition from across Lancashire, Ribble Valley ended the day with the winning teams in the under-14, under-12 and under-9 age groups.

They also secured second-placed finishes in the under-15, under-11 and under-10 categories, as well as making it a ‘one-two’ in the under-9 competition as their under-8 side finished second.

And it proved to be a doubly successful day for Ribble Valley’s under-14 team.

Half of the squad had no time to celebrate their victory in the final. Instead they had to dash from the court as soon as the final whistle was blown to head over to Stockport, arriving with minutes to spare for their regular league game, which they won by a single-point margin.

Meanwhile, the senior section of the club were playing their first matches of the season in the Northwest Regional Leagues with mixed results.

With teams participating in both A and B groups, the Group A game saw a reduced-strength Ribble Valley fall to a 58-38 defeat away at Bury, while those making the long trip to Appleby to face Westmorland Wanderers were delighted to come back with the points after a 45-50 victory.

Focus now switches to the next round of matches in the under-14 and under-16 regional championships as the club bids to return to the national championship finals next year.

n Ribble Valley Netball Club is a gold caps netball club which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2015.

A not-for-profit organisation, the club currently provides netball training, match play and every year hosts a huge netball tournament for junior teams from across the country. Next year the event will be back in the valley at the excellent outdoor facilities at St Cecilia’s High School, Longridge, in May 2017.

The club offer a couple of free taster sessions to anyone who wants to try netball. Email secretary@ribblevalleynetballclub.com to book.