NETBALL: Oundle schoolgirl on England duty in New Zealand

Oundle School netballer Sienna Rushton spent part of her summer holiday touring New Zealand with the England Under 19 netball squad.
Sienna Rushton has been flying the flag for England in New Zealand.Sienna Rushton has been flying the flag for England in New Zealand.
Sienna Rushton has been flying the flag for England in New Zealand.

The highlight of the tour saw the team compete in the 2017 Netball NZ Under 19 Championships at the ASB Sports Centre, Wellington.

During the competition, the team won all of their matches, playing teams from Auckland, Christchurch and Hamilton. They even beat Wellington, the reigning champions from the previous year.

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Sienna commented: “New Zealand was a great opportunity and learning experience for me, not only to learn about the New Zealand style of play but to improve on all my skills and channels of play.

Sienna Rushton (back row, third from the right) is pictured with the England Under 19 team in New Zealand.Sienna Rushton (back row, third from the right) is pictured with the England Under 19 team in New Zealand.
Sienna Rushton (back row, third from the right) is pictured with the England Under 19 team in New Zealand.

“It was incredible to travel all the way to New Zealand and I loved the whole experience, from the stunning scenery to the hard-fought matches. All of the girls played so well and I can’t wait to use what I learnt at the start of this new season.”

Back in March, Sienna was capped three times for the Under 17 England national squad at the European Championships, held in Belfast. Considerable victories against Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland saw the England team triumph as European champions.

Sienna‘s netball career outside of School is with her local club Turnford Netball Club. She has represented them at Under 12, Under 14 and Under 16 regional and national club level and is currently playing for their senior squad in the England Premier League.

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Since joining Oundle in September 2015 as a Sports Scholar, Sienna has also been selected to represent the Netball Super League team Wasps at Under 21 level.

Sienna Rushton (back row, third from the right) is pictured with the England Under 19 team in New Zealand.Sienna Rushton (back row, third from the right) is pictured with the England Under 19 team in New Zealand.
Sienna Rushton (back row, third from the right) is pictured with the England Under 19 team in New Zealand.

She has to travel to Loughborough University for regional training, Coventry for Wasps, Sheffield, Bath and many other places for England, and all over the country for her club team matches. This, alongside her studies, makes her life at Oundle a very busy one.

Head of Netball, Bev Burnham, commented: “Sienna is a fantastic role model to young netball players both in and out of school. She has a positive work ethic which she should be proud of. To have her here at Oundle boosts both the netball club and the Sports Scholarship programme and we all wish her well.”