A TEENAGER has told how representing her country on the netball court meant the “absolute world” to her.
Heidi Dawson was part of the 12-strong Scotland squad who returned from the Under-17 European Championships with a silver medal.
They defeated hosts Northern Ireland and Wales before coming unstuck against eventual winners England.
However, they then bounced back to win a rollercoaster match with the United Arab Emirates to secure their spot on the podium.
Dawson, from Dirleton, started the matches against England and the UAE, and spoke to Courier Sport about what it meant to represent Scotland at a major championships.
She said: “It meant the absolute world to me.
“I have been training for this for such a long time.
“I don’t know how to explain it but it just felt amazing.
“Competing in Northern Ireland was absolutely more than I could have imagined.
“Just to be representing my country like that was brilliant and I really enjoyed it.”
The 16-year-old, who plays goal shooter for North Berwick-based The Bass Rocketeers, started playing the sport five years ago at her school, George Heriot’s, in Edinburgh.
Now, she is training three or four times a week as she bids to become a regular feature in Scotland squads.
Scotland began the tournament in Antrim with a 54-32 win over the hosts and followed that up by defeating Wales 49-44.
However, England would retain their trophy with a 97-23 victory over Scotland.
Dawson was hopeful Scotland could close the gap on England in the coming years.
READ MORE: Netball star Heidi Dawson representing Scotland at Euros
She said: “It is going to be difficult but I think it is possible with a lot of training. Netball Scotland is definitely progressing and it is possible in the future.”
In the final game, Scotland trailed the UAE 15-14 at the end of the quarter and the gap was extended to 27-20 before half-time. However, Scotland would level at 36-36 with one quarter to go and eventually came through to win 52-48.
Heidi enjoyed the experience of representing Scotland and was determined to be involved once again.
She said: “I’m honoured to be representing my country.
“It is amazing, a really amazing thing to be able to say I have done.
“I will be doing it for as long as I can. That’s my dream.”
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