| Netball
was invented in 1891 by Dr. James Naismith. He was asked by the Boston YMCA to
develop a women's version of basketball, and this formed the basis of the game
we know today. The
game was still known as 'Women's Basketball' in Australia until as recently as
1970. The Chambers
Encyclopedia of Sports Records showed that the first game of Netball was played
in England in 1892 and by 1897 it had become a popular sport amongst young women.
The first
set of rules was published in 1901 but it wasn't until the early
1960's that England hosted the first world championship.
There
are now over 300 local leagues in Great Britain alone and a 'Super League' has
recently evolved. England
rank third and the battle for gold with Australia and New Zealand (ranking first
and second respectively) is bound to be closely contested. | 
