Dilkusha Girls School was crowned overall winners of the Tailevu South Primary Schools Netball Association zone meet, which concluded yesterday at the National Netball Centre in Suva, school officials confirmed. The three-day competition saw the all-girls school fielding two teams in each grade from under-9 through under-14, a depth of numbers that proved decisive against 16 schools across the Tailevu South zone.
Assistant head teacher Tarusila Tawake said the size of the school’s netball programme paid dividends, with Dilkusha securing two grade titles and strong placings across others. “Over the three days, we have been competing well against all the 16 schools in Tailevu South. We managed to come up with two titles, which are U11 and U12, and runners-up for U10 and U11. So that is basically our achievement for these three days,” she said.
Tawake said selectors have already begun identifying players for the next stage of competition. When names were read out at the close of the zone meet, around five to six girls from Dilkusha in each grade were named to attend the Tailevu South trials. Organisers have listed some 20 to 25 players per grade to participate in trials that will pare teams back to 12 players for the national meet in Labasa in week 14 of term one.
The school’s ability to enter two teams in every grade—under-9 to under-14—reflects both a large student population and a strong netball culture, Tawake added. “We always live by the motto of our school. The motto is ‘Jesus as the centre’. So, everything we do, we always put Jesus first. We also have very good students with abilities and capabilities in netball,” she said, pointing to club experience and early skills development as pathways into the school programme.
Beyond trophies, Tawake emphasised the broader benefits sport brings to Dilkusha pupils. “When we teach them about sports, we’re not only teaching physical abilities. Sports come with discipline, time management, and balancing extracurricular activities with schoolwork,” she said. She noted alumni who left the school after strong sporting involvement have gone on to achieve well academically, crediting the balance of opportunities offered.
The Tailevu South zone meet functions as a feeder into the national primary schools netball championships in Labasa, where final squads will be contested. Dilkusha’s performance in Suva secures the school a prominent role in that selection conversation and maintains its reputation as a dominant force in the zone’s primary netball scene.
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