Ahoghill lass Rebekah Calderwood, was delighted to recently represent Northern Ireland in a friendly international netball match against the Republic of Ireland (ROI) at University of Ulster, Jordanstown.
Rebekah, a pupil at Ballymena Academy and an U16 netballer at Seven Towers Junior Netball Club was part of the Netball Northern Ireland (NNI) U17 National Squad who played ROI U21 squad on Saturday 20th August.
The young athlete took to the court as Wing Defence (WD) and Goal Defence (GD).
Both sides fought hard in what was a highly contested and very physical match, in front of a Northern Ireland home crowd in UUJ.
The final score NNI U17 34 : 36 ROI U21.
Rebekah's school and Seven Towers Netball Club Coach and NNI U17 Team Manager, Julie-Anne Cairns, had this to say about Rebekah:
"Rebekah has really developed her game in the Mid Court this season and has become a solid Wing Defence. Rebekah comes out strong to offer and reoffer, carries the ball confidently up the court to the attack and consistently backs up the attack to recycle the ball when required.
“Rebekah was previously a Specialist GD, so her development in this area of the Mid Court has been a joy to watch. Rebekah has worked hard all summer with Netball Northern Ireland and Tailored School Performance sessions in preparation for this match.
“Her hard work and commitment on and off the court paid off as she displayed an impressive performance against ROI on Saturday. Ballymena Academy, Seven Towers Netball Club and Netball NI are all very proud of Rebekah and her Sporting Achievements."