If a club’s health is determined by the strength of their junior set-up, then Challengers Netball Club are in a very good place.

In addition to the club’s six senior teams – one of which, the Rockets, play in the regional league – they have a multitude of junior sides.

Like many grassroot clubs, Challengers spend a lot of time developing the youngsters of today into first-team stars of tomorrow.

“We offer the opportunity for young girls all over Gloucestershire to receive netball coaching and active participation in a team sport,” said the club’s junior development officer Sian Lawrence.

“Our training venue is at Tewkesbury High School for high 5s, under-12s and under-13s, while our under-14 and under-16 squads train at Bentham Country Club.

“We have had our juniors in the club since 1990 although we have grown significantly in recent years and now play in the Gloucestershire Netball Junior League.

“We now have 118 registered junior members.”

Last season was the most successful for the club’s junior age group teams with the under-12s, 13s, 14s and 16s all finishing runners-up in various tournaments.

This season has already begun in an encouraging fashion with the under-14s winning the County Cup.

It’s not all about the juniors, of course, and there is plenty to get excited about at senior team level as well.

Lawrence is a goalshooter for the first team who play in the Regional South West League Three. They won promotion out of the Gloucestershire League at the end of the 2015/16 campaign and were delighted to hold on to their place at the higher level last time out.

This season the flagship team are playing their home games at Oxstalls for the first time.

The club’s second team have also recently won promotion to the Premier Division of the Gloucestershire League and it’s no wonder that first-team wing defence Courtney Handley believes the Challengers are now probably the second strongest club in the county after Hucclecote.

She has been with the club for the past five years and has enjoyed every minute of it since moving on from Rednock Ladies.

“I was with Rednock with 10 or 12 years,” said Handley, 30. “They were a lovely group and I enjoyed my time there but I wanted to play at a higher level. Challengers are a bigger club and everyone is very committed.”

They certainly are and the club have made great strides over the years, not just on the court but also off it.

Last year saw many club members – both seniors and juniors – obtain netball qualifications. Sian Lawrence and Kirsty Hughes have completed their level 2 coaching courses and are now fully qualified, while Rebecca Smith has her level 1 qualification and is now working towards her level 2.

“We also have our head coach Kath Walker working towards her level 3,” added Lawrence. “Several club members are working towards their umpire qualifications, including our high 5 coach Lorna Herold, along with some of our junior members – under-14s Amaya Herold and Jess Edwards.

“We also have our very first under-16 C award umpire – Evie Stewart-Davis – who is also working towards her level 1 coach award and is a regular in the under-16 first team.

“She has been with Challengers since year 6 and has received lots of recognition for her efforts including the Junior Volunteer of the Season award from the Gloucestershire Netball League.

The club’s success is a remarkable tale, especially when you consider that Challengers did not officially come into being until the mid-1990s.

Sian Lawrence takes up the story.

“Cheltenham Civil Service Netball Club were one of the eight original clubs that existed when the Gloucestershire County Netball Association was formed in 1956,” Lawrence explained.

“Cheltenham Civil Service became Civil Service Challengers then C.S. Challengers. Following the 1995/96 season – when nearly all the civil service members had hung up their boots – the netball club became simply Challengers.

“We merged with Tewkesbury Netball Club for the start of the 2004/05 season and moved our training sessions to Tewkesbury Sports Centre.”

Since then it’s been a story of success all the way and that has continued in the current campaign with the club’s Flyers team winning the pre-season Premier/Division One tournament and the club’s 4th

team, the Comets, winning the Division Two/Three tournament, also in September.

The good times look to continue for many years to come.