The United Arab Emirates put in some strong performances at the U17 European Netball Championships in Northern Ireland at the weekend, impressively finishing third against tough opposition.
The UAE Falcons played five games across Europe Netball’s five-day event, starting with three group stage matches before moving into the Play-offs and Finals matches.
A squad of 12 talented young players from across the country – led by captain Mila Morgan – travelled to the UK eager to showcase the best of UAE netball on the international stage and compete the best teams from throughout the region.
In their opening match on Wednesday, England ran out 92-19 victors at the Antrim Forum before Scotland edged out the Falcons 59-40 on Thursday.
There were, however, positive signs in the first two matches with some impressive plays and performances on show in front of the live stream cameras. It then all came together in their third match against Wales on Friday when the Falcons won 48-35 in a highly entertaining game.
Captain Morgan was delighted with the win, speaking on the competition organisers’ live coverage: “I’m so proud of everyone in the squad – we had a lot of things to work on going into the game and I think we executed them out on the court.”
On Saturday, a second defeat to Scotland at the Play-off stage then gave the Falcons the opportunity to secure third place on the final day against Northern Ireland, and they did just that.
A closely-fought 43-39 victory over their opponents ensured that the Falcons returned to the UAE with the bronze medal – a fantastic achievement for a young squad with a bright future ahead.
Speaking after their final match, the UAE Young Falcons’ Head Coach, Emily Fensome said: “I’m really proud of the way we’ve grown over the weeks. We started off with a really tough game against England, but it actually gave us lots of learning opportunities and we showed that out on the court ending in a win.
“Our goal was to get top five and to always been competing… and to get top four was a really big achievment for us. But to go one step further and finish third – I am so proud of the girls!”
There was further success for the Falcons, with Captain Mila Morgan being recognised as Player of the Tournament for the U17 European Championships Division 1 following some hugely impressive individual performances over the tournament.
A huge well done to everyone involved with the U17 UAE Falcons squad from everyone at Gulf Youth Sport!
Cover image credit – Stephen Hamilton (Instagram/@imjustasnapper)