JOSEPH Rowntree School, York, dominated the County Round of the National Schools' Netball Tournament by picking up two titles.

They won the Under 19 and Under 14 events and finished third in the Under 16 competition.

Matches were held at Joseph Rowntree and involved 24 teams - all winners or runners-up from each of the four areas of North Yorkshire.

There were eight teams in each age group, playing a round robin tournament, and Joseph Rowntree were the only school in the county with a team in all three age groups.

The Under 14s competition ended up being an all-York affair with Huntington School in the final game.

Pouring rain in the later matches made it difficult for the sides but Joseph Rowntree, keen to keep up their school's excellent record at this level, were well rehersed and opened up with an 8-4 victory against St Aidan's, Harrogate.

Joseph Rowntree then beat Scalby School 10-3, Harrogate Grammar School 10-3, St Augustine's 9-3, Easingwold 12-3 and Allertonshire 8-5.

Their last match against Huntington determined who would win the county trophy.

Joseph Rowntree had already secured their place in the regional round but Huntington needed at least a draw to progress further, after drawing with Easingwold earlier in the day.

Conditions were extremely wet, with players having difficulty catching the ball. It was a very scrappy game with Huntington taking the lead at half-time but Joseph Rowntree's shooters, who had been on form all day, lost their accuracy but did manage to grab an equaliser.

The 1-1 result saw Joseph Rowntree win the trophy and Huntington join them in the regional round as runners-up.

Huntington also finished as runners-up in the Under 16 section behind St Aidan's.

Joseph Rowntree finished third, losing out on a place in the regional finals, a 5-3 opening game defeat against St Aidan's proving decisive.

They did bounce back to beat St John Fisher 15-3, Pindar School 7-5, Scarborough College 12-1 and Northallerton 8-5, but lost 8-7 to Thirsk and 10-5 to York rivals Huntington, who were placed second on goal average after their draw with St Aidan's.

In the Under 19 section, Joseph Rowntree were always in contention for the trophy, with a squad of 12 players with previous experience of National finals.

They put on an excellent display of netball, beating all their opposition easily, with their closest match a 12-8 win over Easingwold, who were runners-up overall.

Joseph Rowntree teams were:

U14 (winners): Emily Fowler (capt), Sarah McQuade, Michelle McQuade, Katie Ellis, Heather Welsh, Katie Caffrey, Kathryn Cordell, Jenni Bailey.

U16 (3rd place): Helen Birdsall (capt), Nicola Moran, Marion Willis, Linsey Jacks, Stephanie Twissell, Claire Romeniuk, Jessica Owen, Nicola Bailey, Lorraine Waudby.

U19 (winners): Amy Cunnington (capt), Katie Barrass, Helen Cordell, Julie Ely, Dawn Pashby, Louise Perrins, Emily Keen, Jenny Carter, Jo Phillips, Katy Neep, Jemma Shaw, Amy Snow.

The top two teams in each section from the County Round will represent North Yorkshire in the Regional Round on Saturday, January 27, at Rossett Sports Centre, Harrogate

The National Finals are in March.