To lose any game by a single goal is tough to take.

To lose it in controversial circumstances is even tougher to take, but to lose it while making a 14-hour round trip is a whole new ball game.

But that’s what happened to Hucclecote Netball Club’s flagship team who made the close on 250-mile trip to play Grangetown in Middlesbrough and lost 57-58.

And that defeat came just seven days after they’d gone up to Lancashire to play Oldham, also in a National Premier League Division One game, where they put up a great show before going down by just seven goals to the number one club team in the land.

They lost to the early-season pacesetters 51-58 and while that was a great effort they felt they should have had a draw at Grangetown.

“Yes, it was a bit controversial,” said Hucclecote chairman and team manager Sue Wainwright. “We scored a goal right on the final whistle but the umpire disallowed it.

“If it had stood we’d have drawn the game.”

Hucclecote have nevertheless made a very positive start to the new campaign after winning promotion from Premier League Two last season.

They are now playing at the elite level in the country and have already enjoyed victories at London side New Cambell (51-35) and at home to Leeds Athletic (52-24).

That game against Leeds was their only home fixture so far and after their two trips up north over the past nine days captain Sam Cook and her team-mates will be pleased that their next game on Sunday 27th October is at home at Cheltenham Ladies’ College when Cumberland are the visitors.

Hucclecote are, of course, the pre-eminent netball club in the area. They run six other adult teams – two in the regional leagues and four of them in the Gloucestershire League – and also run three teams at under-12s, under-13s, under-14s and under-15s.

The under-14s were competing in Paignton in Devon at the weekend – they won a place to compete in the Regional Under-14 League – and Wainwright added with some understatement: “There’s plenty going on!”