Yarm School won the U14 title, with Brighton College finishing in second and St Albans High School for Girls coming third at the 2025 National Schools Finals, in association with the British Army.
Yarm School weren’t without challenge throughout the day, and it was Brighton School who actually topped Group B at the end of the round-robin matches. Brighton School picked up seven wins and just one loss, whilst Yarm School had an 8-8 draw with Scarisbrick Hall School and a 10-12 loss to Presdales which saw them take second place in the division.
Meanwhile St Albans High School for Girls topped Group A after winning all their round-robin matches and Parkstone Grammar finished second in Group A on goal difference, after tying with The Queens School on points.
The semi-finals saw Brighton College defeat Parkstone Grammar 12-10, whilst St Albans High School for Girls fell 9-14 to eventual champions Yarm School.
This set the stage for Yarm School, who finished in third place in 2024 after failing to make the final, to face Brighton College in a battle to lift the trophy. It was the North East side who were victorious, holding on for a closely contested 16-14 victory that sees them improve two places on their 2024 finish.
St Albans High School for Girls took the bronze after a 12-8 victory over Parkstone Grammar School.
Across the competition, there were several standout performances. After impressing on court throughout the U14 event, Yarm School’s Phoebe Arvanitis was named Gilbert Player of the Tournament, taking home a £100 voucher that was presented by Future Rose Anya Williams.
The Pam Telford Endeavour Award, named in honour of Pam Telford, who sadly passed away last year after dedicating over 40 years to the National Schools competition, was presented to Newton Abbot College, recognising their outstanding sportsmanship and respect.
Missed the action? Catch up on englandnetball.tv, and check out the full list of results on the Netball Connect app.
A huge thank you to the players, coaches, support staff, umpires, officials, volunteers, spectators and staff at the EIS Sheffield for a fantastic day of competition.
Thank you also to our brilliant partners – British Army, Gilbert, Physique (who supplied first aid kits for each school on arrival and prizes for each player on the winning teams), Collection Cosmetics, Rayburn Tours, Here We Flo and Perform Better – for their invaluable support of the event.
Images: Morgan Harlow
