Six players from Ely Vikings Korfball Club were selected to compete the annual England Korfball senior inter-area tournament last week. 

Sam Oakhill, Madison Ford, Wes Jordan, Elena Fraser and Charlotte Marsh were all selected for Cambridgeshire, while Joshua Ford was part of the GB students’ team.

Each of the six players had to attend trials to be selected for their respective teams and were pitted against some of the country’s top Korfball talent.

The competition included counties from all across England, as well as a Scottish, Welsh, and GB University team.

The one-day event began with a group stage phase before progressing to an eight-team knockout round.

GB Students and Cambridgeshire were both drawn into Group B along with the West Midlands, and all six Vikings players progressed to the knockout stages with GB students finishing first and Cambridgeshire in second place.

In the Quarter Finals, Cambridgeshire dispatched Oxfordshire 9-2, whilst GB Students ran out 9-4 winners over the West Midlands.

However, both teams succumbed to semi-final defeat, with Cambridgeshire losing 7-3 to the south west and GB Students losing 13-3 to eventual winners London.

The third-placed playoff was a tight affair, and with the score at 7-7 there was nothing to separate the teams at full time.

The playoff was decided by a sudden death penalty shootout. 

Both sides missed their first penalty, before a Cambridgeshire goal was followed by a GB students miss, handing Cambridgeshire third place in the competition.

If you want to have the chance to compete on the national stage, or simply just try out a family-friendly sport, Ely Vikings Korfball Club welcomes players of all ages and abilities.

For more information visit www.elyvikings.com or search for Ely Vikings on Instagram and Facebook.