So it will be another 4 years – probably in Glasgow – before England can again take on the worlds best at U21 level and endeavour to hang medals round necks as they step onto the podium. There was no lack of effort, commitment or ability on show from England over the past 2 weeks in Rarotonga (Cook Islands), and the emotion showed by the team and management at the semi final loss to Australia and then the bronze medal loss to Jamaica, demonstrated how much this team had committed and wanted the ultimate success.
It’s all over – the emotion starts to show
The margin were small – neutral observers were pointing that out, and this was perhaps underlined by the result in the final – Australia beating New Zealand with a score very similar to that by which they beat England (and we had a horrible 3rd quarter – New Zealand had a horrible first!). Australia won 64 - 46, and fully deserved their Gold Medals – they were the best team there – not by a large margin, but by enough to fully justify their title as U21 World Champions.
Alongside the agony, there was however ecstasy for England representatives at the World Youth Championships. We reported last week on our 3 umpires in action at the event – Louise Travis, Gary Burgess, and Judith Groves. Their week got better and better as they were observed and assessed in every game by the watchful eyes of the Appointments Panel (with England’s Bill Alexander working very hard as a key part of that team). The ultimate accolade of course is to be invited to officiate in the final or the most significant match that you can (given that umpire appointments are neutral, so you can not umpire a match with your country playing.
All Three England Umpires were involved in matches for the final placings – a major demonstration of how well they were rated across the event – with Judith Groves officiating in the Final between Australiaand New Zealand.
The final icing on the cake was when as part of the final ceremony, it was announced that 3 umpires at the event had been assessed for and passed their International Umpire Award. The 3 (all males as it happens) - included Gary Burgess.
Our congratulations to Gary, Judith and Louise for a major and very positive impact at the World Youth Netball Championships!
