A NETBALL team in Darlington is enjoying a successful season, despite only playing for the first time last month.

Pupils from Rise Carr Primary School, Darlington, were awarded a National Lottery grant for their after-school netball club.

The school had never had a netball team before the club was set up a few weeks ago, but so far they have held their own in the Darlington Primary Schools Netball League, winning two matches and losing two.

Judith Young, nursery nurse at Rise Carr, applied for the grant from the Awards for All lottery programme.

The school has tennis, athletics and football after-school clubs.

The £2,506 grant is for three new clubs to be set up, including netball and tag rugby for seven to 11-year-olds, and a fitness class for five to seven- year-olds.

The school bought netball posts and bibs to start the club, and hired a coach.

The rugby club will be set up in the next few weeks.