WEYMOUTH Netball League star Jenny Tait enjoyed a once in a lifetime trip umpiring games in Bahrain.

Tait, who plays for Arethuseans Netball Club, represented her country as a Talent and Youth Umpire in the Middle East and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

She said: “My time away was fantastic, beyond anything I had ever done before. I had never travelled to the Middle East before so the whole experience was brand new to me.

“It was a lot to get our heads around as the rules were different to England Netball rules, but we managed to work it out.

“I wasn’t sure what to expect from the teams competing, but I was surprised that the standard was very high all round.

“Included in the competition were youth teams, ageing from 14, however, my surprise of the weekend were the four men’s teams competing. I had never even seen men play before let alone umpire them.

“It was actually very tough to umpire such high quality games in such high heat.

“The eight Talent and Youth Umpires were assessed throughout the weekend to decide which of the final games we would be doing. I was chosen to do the third and fourth place match, as they were amazed by how much I had improved in such a short time.

“I was described as a ‘sponge’, soaking up all the information and advice I had been given, and I look forward to bringing my new knowledge to Weymouth.”