Larkfield girls helping NI to make Games history

Larkfield girls Lisa Somerville, Nordia Masters and Caroline OHanlon getting ready for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. INUS3014 Larkfield.

This is the first time any female team from any sport has qualified to represent Northern Ireland at the Commonwealths or Ireland at the Olympics and fittingly the girls in green appeared in the opening game of the tournament against Malawi on Thursday morning.

Northern Ireland have been drawn in Pool A of the 12-team competition along with hosts Scotland, St Lucia and three of the world’s top five netballing nations, New Zealand, Jamaica, who they took on last Friday, and Malawi.

With netball, a sport completely dominated by Commonwealth countries, all of the world’s top teams are in Glasgow so Northern Ireland’s primary objective will be to emulate their eighth place finish at the 2011 World Cup in Singapore.

Michelle Drayne, who is also in the NI squad for the Games. Pic by Darren Kidd /Presseye.com

Larkfield, who won the NI Premier League and Senior Cup double in the domestic season just ended, have four players in the squad of 12 including iconic captain Caroline O’Hanlon, who doubles up as one of Ireland’s leading ladies gaelic footballers.

Commonwealths success would be a dream month for O’Hanlon, who a few weeks ago captained her native county, Armagh, to Ulster Championship success in ladies gaelic and is a real lynchpin of the Northern Ireland netball team.

A Northern Ireland regular since the 2003 World Cup in Jamaica, O’Hanlon is the only one of the four Larkfield players involved in the 2011 World Cup in Singapore to be included in this Commonwealths squad.

Compared to that panel in terms of Larkfield representation, Kyla Bowman has been replaced by elder sister Lisa Somerville, Michelle Drayne takes the place of Laura Mason and Nordia Masters is the successor to Deborah McCarthy as a circle defender.

Although unsurprising, Glasgow selection is a relief for Hillsborough girl Drayne, who was in the squad for the European Championships in April 2011 only to miss out on a World Cup place two months later to clubmate Mason.

Strapping six-foot shooter Somerville, who captained NI Under 21s to an excellent eighth at the 2009 Junior World Championships in the Cook Islands, missed the last World Cup due to a maternity break but is now back to her formidable best.

Somerville will push Northern Ireland legend Noleen Lennon for the chief shooter’s role while the formidable Masters is in contention for a starting spot in defence.

The squad suffered devastating disappointment a few weeks ago when Northern Ireland failed to qualify for next year’s World Cup in Australia courtesy of an agonising 45-44 defeat by Scotland so the Commonwealths will be the perfect chance to bounce back.

In spite of their Euro campaign not going to plan, Northern Ireland are well prepared for the Commonwealths after a greatly expanded fixture list featuring the International Festival last November and tours to the Caribbean and Pacific Islands in the first half of 2014.