WASPS’ junior sides have ‘plenty to work on’ after coming out second best in a netball academy showcase event in Birmingham.
The Vitality Netball Superleague champions fielded teams at under-15, under-17, under-19 and under-21 level against Manchester Thunder and lost all four encounters.
Dannii Titmuss, Wasps’ head academy coach, said inexperience of the two younger sides was highlighted, while Thunder were far more clinical in the other two games.
“This is about developing youngsters,” she said.
“The under-15s are a young squad and you could tell that they have been pulled together from their different hubs.
“We didn’t have the partnerships on court which Thunder clearly did as they train week in, week out but in the last quarter they were starting to develop which was encouraging.
“The under-17s started really strongly and did well in the first quarter as it went goal for goal.
“Some of them do not train together and this was an opportunity to put them together in a friendly and to see who works well, so it was very useful from that point of view.”
The under-19s and under-21s were missing key players – including first team star George Fisher – and it told.
Titmuss added: “The 19s got off to a slow start and lost by 12 points and it was the same story of not being clinical enough.
“It was a big show court and it was the first time some of the girls had played in an environment like that.
“The under-21 side have not lost for 18 months and you want to keep a winning run like that going.
“We want to win everything, and you get greedy, but we have to take what we have learned from this and ensure that we use it positively.”
