One of England’s oldest netball captains, Jean Robinson, tearfully spoke about the power of netball on the 100th anniversary of the sport. Born in Newcastle-under-Lyme, the former England Netball president emotionally spoke about her experience playing in Belfast in 1976 during the Troubles.
England, and an England Schools side, played international netball in Northern Ireland for the first time in six years after international netball across the Irish Sea was suspended due to terrorist activity.
Robinson was watching on at the Masters Centenary Festival in Brighton, which celebrated a century of netball, and she reflected on her greatest memory of representing England.
“We went to Belfast for the British Isles tournament, and we were the only teams who turned up to the event,” Robinson said tearfully..
“I was just so proud. So proud. We came out and got a standing ovation that went on and on and on. We had a police escort everywhere and people asked me if I saw any of the conflict, and I answered with ‘we went from A to B, and B to A.’
“When we left the airport, we were asked to deflate our netballs to make sure there was nothing inside them.
“Netball brought us all together and I am still so proud of what we did.”
Robinson was due to captain England at the inaugural 1963 Netball World Championship in Eastbourne, just 30 minutes away from Brighton, but she had to step away from premier international netball with a back injury. She then led the governing body for four years from 1976 to 1980.
The proud northerner represented North Staffs in Inter County Tournaments, which ran from 1932 to 2006, a tournament that inspired the Masters Centenary Festival. The Masters Centenary Festival brought together over-35, over-40 and over-50 teams from across England for a two-day social tournament on Saturday 11 July and Sunday 12 July.
Robinson, who continued playing into her 60s, joked about how the twilight of her playing days came showing how much the sport has changed since.
She said: “The whole atmosphere here is brilliant. I've marvelled at how fit they look, and the way they’ve managed the games in this heat. I’ve been thrilled-to-a-twit. I was reluctant to give up netball, but I got to the point in my club when I finished down in the sixth team.
“I had to give up because of physical problems, and because my skirt wouldn't go round! I thought, ‘no Jean, if you stay any longer, you'll be making a fool of yourself.’
“We had wrap-over skirts, and mine didn't wrap over, so reluctantly I knew the time had come.”
The Masters Centenary Festival celebrated a century of netball in Brighton, bringing clubs from across the country together to shine a light on the grassroots game.
Played in the spirit of the historic Inter County Tournaments, Brighton Sport and Health Complex was taken over by netball for the weekend, with nearly 150 matches played over a sweltering two days.
Portsmouth-based side Wrong Direction claimed the over-35s title in attacking fashion, scoring a whopping 240 goals. The squad passed through the group stages undefeated having battled to a 19-19 draw against home favourites Sussex Thunder.
After surviving that scare, the champions piled on the pressure and convincingly defeated Oxfordshire 30-9 in the quarter-finals, followed by a 27-15 win over Shooting Stars.
The form-setters met Northamptonshire in the final, who showed defensive might throughout the tournament. In the final, both sides were evenly matched in the mid-court, but Wrong Direction took the lead with stronger accuracy at the post.
Wrong Direction took the over-35s trophy with an 18-9 win. Home side Sussex Thunder took the final step on the podium. Rachel Teal, organiser and founder of the club, said: “We felt like we were going back to our social netball roots and we kept on going for each other.
“None of us want to go any higher than the Hampshire league – we’re just a group of friends who love playing netball together.
"We’re hoping to celebrate with an ice bath!”
The Avon All Blacks took the trophy in the over-40s field, with former Vitality Rose and multiple-time Netball Super League winner Clare Elsley at centre. The title winner with the Hertfordshire Mavericks and Team Bath said: “To be able to represent my team at the ripe age of 47 is amazing.
“People think you’re over the hill, but when you look around there are some amazingly talented players at this level. We are all part of a community, and netball is much more than the game, coming here and seeing friends is just incredible.”
In the final, the All Blacks faced Netball Aid Friends, a team which raised money for charity Shelter, and edged them 18-16 to take the spoils and leave Brighton unbeaten. Akuma Leicestershire Vixens took third place after beating London Falcons in the bronze final.
Lastly, in the over-50s competition, Berkshire powered to the title after defeating Oxfordshire twice in one day, triumphing 26-9 in the Sussex sun. Goal shooter Lucy Jordan said: "We loved the tournament, especially for those of us who played Inter County back in the day. It was a really nice atmosphere."
Netball Legends won over-50s bronze in similarly dominant fashion. Over the weekend, excerpts of the England Netball archives brought to life the stories of the last century.
Supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, memories of Inter County Tournaments and the previous century of netball inspired the current generation of netball players.
Former England Netball and All England Net Ball Association presidents Joan Mills MBE, Phyllis Avery MBE and Jean Robinson were in attendance on the south coast.
