Team Lady are the inaugural Fast 5 champions.

Local netball’s most dominant team earned the distinction of being the first to have their name inscribed on the new trophy after getting past Team Fam 38-8 in the final of last weekend’s season-ending tournament.

“It was the first time playing it, and we definitely wanted to be first to win it,” Danielle Raynor, the Team Lady goal shooter, said.

As well as winning the Fast 5 tournament, Team Lady, formerly known as Young Men’s Social Club Lady Bluebirds, were also crowned Senior Winter League, Who’s Who and Mix Up, Switch Up champions this past term.

Asked what has been the key to her team’s success, Raynor added: “The more we play, the better we get.”

The Fast 5 round-robin tournament saw teams allowed only five players on the court at any time and rolling substitutes. The shooting circle was also divided into one and two points zones, with teams awarded three points for shooting beyond the arc. Each team was also allocated one power play, during which time points both in and beyond the arc were doubled.

“During their [Team Fam] power-play round, which was third quarter, our main focus was to prevent them from shooting and minimise the number of points they obtain,” Raynor said. “We were very successful in that quarter and capitalised on our power-play round.”

Organisers cut the eight-team tournament short after it dragged on well into the night.

“It was a round-robin tournament and we had a semi-final and final,” Tracey Sharrieff, the Bermuda Netball Association president, said.

“But because it got late into the night, and nobody wanted the tournament go on for a second week, what we did was calculate the points for the seven games that were played and determined that no team was able to catch those two teams [Team Lady and Team Fam], even if they won the rest of their games. So we brought the final forward to make it the final match of the night between Team Fam and Team Lady, who were victorious.

“We just allowed them to play four five-minute quarters as opposed to two seven-minute halves with the power plays and everything else.

“It was very exciting because Danielle [Raynor] scored six points on two occasions during the power play and teams rose in excitement because I guess it was like a basketball three-pointer kind of thing.”

Sharrieff said the inaugural Fast 5 tournament has created a big buzz among the players.

“I think the girls are looking forward to having this tournament again soon,” she said. “This was the first time we have actually played the Fast 5 in Bermuda, and so now the teams see that it’s not as difficult as it may sound.

“I think they are going to start practising in that manner whereas you have the five players on board as opposed to six, and maybe we will also have more teams involved.”

Raynor added: “It’s a very physical game and a lot of work. It definitely tests your fitness level and the shooters have to be on point.”