Bristol Netball 2's take home the cup

By Ava Featon, English Literature First Year

The BUCS Western Conference Cup Finals 2025 took place at Bath University this year, creating a neutral venue for both Bristol and Cardiff. With the cup being knockout games the whole way through, both teams were heading into the final undefeated, making for exciting match.

Chantelle Wopara had chosen a familiar starting seven of; Fran Tomassoni (GS), Ava Featon (GA), Betsy Thomas (WA), Chloe Davies (C), Poppy Sawyer (WD), Grace Durand (GD) and Iris Huggins (GK) to set the tone for the first quarter. With Cardiff being a side that Bristol have played before it was evident that Bristol had a good understanding of what worked and what didn’t against their opposition. The matchup between Co-Captain Tomassoni (GS) and Cardiff’s goalkeeper was intense one from the first whistle. Matching up in not only height but strength as well. Tomassoni did a brilliant job at varying her style of play within the circle to confuse the defence. Switching from a hold to a pop, she didn't allow the Cardiff defenders to gain an idea of what she was going to do next. Tomassoni’s variation paired with Featon’s sharp shooting allowed the attacking unit to convert majority of their centre passes. The always deadly defensive duo of Durand and Huggins worked effortlessly throughout the first quarter to turn the ball for their team. A breath-taking cross-court interception from Durand, which was picked up by Sawyer, was the first of three turnovers from the defensive unit. Managing to score off not only their own centre passes but the three turnovers too, the first quarter ended in 12-9 to Bristol.

Jumping into the second quarter no changes were made from Wopara’s side. Bristol continued to highlight their skills and accuracy to the crowd as both Thomas and Davies made their feeds into Tomassoni look easy. The mighty midcourt pair produced a plethora of impressive through-court drives within their through-court attack. The pair easily found Featon at the top of the circle after waiting for her to run the front, resulting in more goals for Bristol. As the attacking unit continued to score the goals, the defensive unit never stopped producing the opportunity for them. The absolute powerhouse holding down the backline of Huggins, made it extremely tricky for the Cardiff midcourt to feed their tall shooter. Constantly staying off the body to give herself room to cleanly take the ball, Huggins continuously contested and turned ball. The crowd roared with every tip that Huggins got her hand to. The quarter ended at 21-16 to Bristol.

With the game being close enough for either team to win the trophy, at half time the crowd were pumped. Wopara rallied up her troops with an inspirational half time speech and sent her seven back on the court to push out their lead. With Charlotte Howard subbing in for Featon at GA, the team took to the court. Howard picked up from where Featon left off and continued to display an impressive range of shooting skills. The injection of fresh legs from both teams added a new dimension to the cup final. Cardiff began to push back in the third quarter and slowly closed the gap on the score board. With both teams fighting tooth and nail, the volume in the arena went up a level. With 7:00 left of the quarter Bristol subbed on the daring defender Maddie Whitfield to add a different dimension into the defensive end. Off the back of the substitution the rest of the defensive unit moved forward, giving Davies a well-deserved rest from centre. Whitfeild brought a tad bit more height to the circle and therefore put doubt into the Cardiff’s midcourt’s minds when it came to feeding their goal shooter. The Bristol side managed to maintain their lead, heading into the final quarter with a score of 33-29.

In the final quarter Bristol took no prisoners. With the Cardiff side looking tired and giving away three turnovers from footwork alone, Bristol capitalised. Once the momentum was on Bristol’s side it was obvious which team were going to come away victorious. From the spectacular feeds from Co-captain Thomas to the impressive turnovers from Durand (WD) and Huggins (GD) Bristol began to run away with the game. With 8:00 left of the quarter Katie Copping was subbed into WD, and the defensive unit was pushed back once again. Copping wasted no time in turning ball and disrupting play for her side, proving to the crowd that she was not to be messed with. At 5:00 Sabine Newman was swapped into WA and Maddie Rollit, making her debut for the 2’s, was subbed into C. Newman and Rollit produced a display of magnificent feeds and ball placement, truly helping their team towards the finish line. With the crowd behind them, Bristol absolutely dominated the final quarter leaving Cardiff in the dust with a final score of 48-39.

Post Match Comments

Betsy Thomas, Co-Captain of Bristol Netball 2s

'It was such an amazing day! The cup final was such an exciting match from start to finish, with the game staying close and intense throughout. In the end we came out on top with a huge victory! Every player put 100% energy and effort into every second, securing us the great win! The whole experience was filled with good vibes, teamwork, and celebrations - such a fun and well deserved way to finish this incredible season!'

Fran Tomassoni, Co-Captain of Bristol Netball 2s

'I am incredibly proud of the girls and the performance we put out against a top side like Cardiff. To come away as champions is a testament to the hard work we've put in all season and wouldn't have been possible without our coach, Chani Wopara. It was a really exciting match to be a part of, especially with the noise from the fantastic crowd of Bristol supporters. We're looking forward to take this momentum forward to our last game of the season and secure promotion.'

Ava Featon, Player of the Match

'Playing Cardiff was always going to be a tough game for us. Having had a close run-in with them earlier this season, we all new this game would be tough. I am so proud of this team and what we have created this season. I couldn't have asked for a better debut season here at Bristol.'

Meet the Team