IN a real underdog story, a group of netballers from the Tyne Valley battled their way up to the top dogs in Northumberland.

Close to folding after relegation in 2015, Tynedale Netball Club have bounced back strongly and have enjoyed an unbeaten run which earned them the Northumberland League Division One title, the highest accolade within the county.

Losing many players to either other clubs or universities, the team, under the name of Hexham Netball Club at the time, looked down and out as they slipped into Division Two of the county league.

But under the leadership of Lesley Woodhouse, who stepped in as coach, secretary and treasurer to ensure senior netball continued in the district, things have picked up gradually over the years.

Such has been the improvement that Lesley was voted Northumberland Club Coach of the Year in 2016, as the team were promoted back to Division One.

After changing their name to Tynedale and being kitted out in new strips, the set of players have enjoyed a fantastic year as they go for the double after lifting the league championship.

They have a three-way cup final to look forward to this week as they battle it out with Winlaton and Medics, of Newcastle University, to add to their silverware.

Lesley said: “It’s been a whirlwind couple of seasons. I remember when I first took over, and a lot of the players hadn’t played netball for quite some years.

“In fact, one of the established umpires came up to me and said, ‘you have a lot of work to put in!’

“But we are doing really well now and the players have started to gel, and they’re getting to know each other.

“They are friends off court, and that really makes a difference.

“It is a massive achievement winning the league, and I never thought that it would happen so quickly. But the girls are so passionate and dedicated, and it’s a pleasure to coach them.

“I’m so proud of them and it’s great to watch them in action. I do a lot of the scoring and keep stats, but I lose track some times because I’m too busy watching them!”

With Victoria Eames starring as player of the match, Tynedale booked their place in this week’s KO Cup final with a 34-20 victory over Gosforth in the semi-finals.

david.coulter@hexham-courant.co.uk