Haxby netball club are holding a double celebration in the 30th year of York and District Netball League.

Their first team will see their name on the championship trophy for the first time in the club's 24-year history after a 29-year reign by Civil Service.

The league hot-shots scored a massive 813 goals with a defensive record of only 340 against.

Ladybirds 'A' once again claimed the runners-up position never having been out of the top three placings for the past ten years.

Civil Service 2 will play top-flight netball again next year. Relegated to the second division for the first time in their history last season, the first match of the campaign saw the rearranged team lose to Haxby 3 by two goals.

From that match forward the team settled and won all their remaining games. The experience of several players who have all played in division one in the past were helped by 15-year-old goal attack Polly Mennell.

Service will be joined in division one by Millers 'B' who finished as runners up just ahead of Haxby 3 on the narrowest of goal averages.

Rufforth netball club teams are on the move again.

After completing a second season in division three, having just failed to gain promotion last year, Rufforth 'B' left it very late in the season to stamp their authority on the third division.

Abi Brady joined the club in summer and settled in well. Ali Middleton was brought up from the third team and the squad improved enormously as the season progressed.

Their double victory over Yorvik clinched the title, and both teams will play second division netball next season.

Division four saw Haxby 5 and 6 battling it out for the championship from the first match of the campaign, when Haxby 5 beat their club mates by two goals.

They had narrowly avoided demotion in 2003 and a couple of changes had been made to the team.

Pauline Wreglesworth, who had thought about retiring, and 15-year-olds Rosie Wright and Cheryl Fairclough, both 15, played a big part in the new line- up along with Under-17s Vicky Starr and Jenni Bailey.

The sixth team had gained promotion last season and fielded the same squad apart from one change.

The two Haxby teams drew their replay and the final run in was very close with title and runners-up positions decided in the final week.

Haxby 5 are promoted to division three as champions, with club mates Haxby 6 as runners up just one point behind.

League newcomers College of Law were crowned division five champions.

The ten members from the college had played at various universities and ran away with the lead for the majority of the season.

But some new faces could well be seen playing in division four with several players leaving the college. Also up are runners-up Rufforth.

The league annual meeting and presentation evening will take place on Tuesday at The Sports Club, Dringhouses, starting at 7.30pm, and every club must be represented.

Any new teams wishing to join the league should write to league secretary Janet Ivel at 1 Manor Chase, Long Marston, York YO26 7RB, enclosing an SAE.

The York Summer Netball League has begun at Rawcliffe courts.

Teams are made up of eight players comprising netballers from each of the five divisions in the York and District league.

The idea is to encourage all members, entering as individuals, to gain experience of playing with people of different abilities. This year the teams are named after fruits.

Updated: 08:45 Tuesday, May 11, 2004