The Cowra Netball Carnival returned in full force, hosting hundreds of netballers from across the region at Col Stinson park last Sunday. Teams from across the region played in a round robin style tournament, testing out the new indoor netball court, in the venue's first official game day use. Cowra also played host to the visitors, some of whom had travelled overnight to reach the Carnival. Cowra Netball Association president Renee Thompson said that efforts of both Council and the committee had made the day a success for the many competitors. "Even people who are not on the committee have been amazing. We've had so much support, Council had even called me this morning to make sure everything was OK. Stage three of the project isn't funded, so there's proper lighting to come, and the dirt hill will be tiered seating." With the old canteen hosting field control on the day, the new canteen was up and running in the sheltered facility. "Our new canteen is amazing -- just being able to do so much more - It's been a huge job." said Ms Thompson The new sheltered courts will be critical to continued access to the sport in cold or hot weather. "Two years ago when we had our carnival, we had to call it off when temperatures reached 40 degrees," said Thompson, "during winter, when it's more overcast and the sun isn't shining it might not be light enough in here until we have proper indoor court lighting. But fortunately today it's light enough. We've never had access to a wet weather facility that's ours until now" With so many teams present, including staying overnight in Cowra with family, friends or lodging - the facility is an opportunity to showcase Cowra's hospitality, as well as build netball in the region. Ms Thompson said the committee were keen to build netball and let everyone know what was happening in 'the big shed.' "Everybody's talked about 'the big shed' not knowing what it is for months." she told The Cowra Guardian. The new indoor courts measure up so far, with plans for lighting, seating and the ability for other community groups to use the space when needed, which won't be limited to netballers; "It was built for Cowra Netball, but it is owned by Council and it is there for the community to use. We had 'Families Into Sport' day last week, and we had six different sports having sessions hosted in this venue - so that was technically its first outing last weekend." said Ms Thompson. Caravans lined the streets near the courts, with families travelling overnight from towns as far as Leeton and Tumut to attend the matches. The netball season will begin in earnest next month, with players of all ages encouraged to have a go. Netballers Olivia Thompson and Lacey Brown were up early, who along with the rest of their team from Young were playing in an under 14's match-up, though only one of their side was in the 13-14 age bracket, Young's Coach Nicole Hayson said their team had fought well above their age bracket, holding their own to secure a victory that morning. The regional commitment to growing netball is reflected in other neighbouring carnivals, with the Young side having competed two weeks ago in their own local Carnival. Players and organisers alike took advantage of the upgraded facilities, with excellent sportsmanship and camaraderie shared across the day. For Ms Thompson, the Cowra side was well prepared: "I was just scoring my team and they were going pretty well, we've got six teams from Cowra, from junior development teams to our 17's. I think we'll do pretty well, everyone's excited to have the carnival again, it's good to be reopening this year. We just want to thank everyone who has helped us get to this place, the committee, the Council and everyone who's contributed to this point."
