Netball team wins championship overseas

The captain of a netball team made up of young British Pakistani women has described the feeling of winning a prestigious tournament in Pakistan as "surreal".

The Maidenhead-based Cosmopolitan Roses took part in the Pakistan FAST5 Women’s National Championships in Islamabad.

Captain Leya Shah, 19, said: "We shared the same mindset, that we’ve come to this tournament and we’re going to give 100%, and we’re going to bring home the gold medal."

Following their success, the Cosmopolitan Roses Netball Academy is going to help form the new Pakistan national team.

The academy's co-founder Sadia Hussain told the BBC's Rena Annobil that members of the local team would be part of the national squad going forward and compete in the upcoming Asian Championships.

The chance to take part in the competition came about when Haroona Zaman, who also co-founded the academy, became the vice chair of the Pakistan Netball Association.

Ms Hussain said: "This opportunity came up where we could take a squad of British heritage Pakistani girls, and go to the Pakistan National Championship, and play these provinces like Sindh and Balochistan, and departments like the army and navy."

The team played during a heatwave, with temperatures reaching 40C (104F), and many of the players were visiting Pakistan for the first time.

Haleema, 16, called it a "really nice country".

She said the only culture shock was that the sport was much more male-dominated in Pakistan.

"I didn’t think it was a negative though," she explained.

"But I want the Pakistan netball women’s team to advance as much as the Pakistan men’s netball team because they’re very, very good and very advanced."

Both Leya and Haleema said they did not have many south Asian sportswomen role models growing up.

"The only time I actually did [see any] was when we all met each other at the trials," Leya said.

Haleema added: "When I saw Leya, who is an amazing player, it really inspired me and made me feel happy because there were other people who were Pakistani who were wearing the hijab."

Ms Hussain said she was "so surprised and so proud" of how the team bonded during their trip away.

She said they "made those connections and looked out for each other" both on and off the court.

Upon winning the title the women, who had been adhering to a strict diet during the competition, treated themselves to ice cream and the local street food, known as gol gappa.

"More than just winning, they were resilient, and there was great sportsmanship, and they showed that on the court," Ms Hussain said.

"They were incredibly graceful in their win too, and they were helping each other... and it wasn’t one person who made the team. They were a team."

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