from behind to defeat North Village Angels by two goals in the final.

The sharp shooting of Selina Bascome and Chaquita Simmons put Angels in command early on, but Panthers, led by the determined Flo Simmons and Antoinette Rabain, battled back to win.

The Second Division Knockout final will be held next Monday evening, while the winter season will finish with the Champion of Champions match between First Division champions Bermuda Public Service Association and Second Division winners Netts. Both matches will start at 6.00 p.m. at Bernard Park.

Netts were undefeated in the Second Division and in Carmen DeShields they had the division's top scorer.

Players will get only a brief break before they are back in action in the Bermuda Netball Association Commercial League which starts in April.

Around 14 teams will take part with matches played on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6.00 p.m. and 7.00 p.m. Reigning champions Blue Flames will be looking to defend their title.

The future looks bright for netball after the revival of the BNA Youth League -- a 10-week series of training sessions geared towards teaching girls aged nine to 16 the basics of the sport.

The sessions ended with an exhibition match in February and the venture proved so popular that the BNA will hold another similar 10-week course starting next month.

The move is designed to promote the game with youngsters with the aim of establishing a new Youth League to be launched in September this year.

BERMUDA PAIR PICKED FOR WEST INDIES RUGBY TEAM RUG Bermuda pair picked for West Indies rugby team Two Bermuda players have been selected to represent the Rugby West Indies side in an international sevens competition in England.

Bobby Hurdle, of Teachers, and Jonathan Cassidy, of Police, will join players from Trinidad, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Canada and Martinique in the squad for the Henley Sevens late in May.

Hurdle and Cassidy were picked after impressive performances in the Trinidad sevens, said John Williams of the Bermuda Rugby Football Union who is also secretary of Rugby West Indies.

There has been talk of creating a rugby side to represent the region in future world cups and this would be the team's "first exposure,'' added Williams.

English Premier League rugby teams Leicester, Bath and Wasps, along with a Fijian side, will also participate in the tournament on May 28.

Williams hopes to take a contingent of supporters from Bermuda to lend their backing to the two players.

Meanwhile, the guest speakers at the BRFU's dinner on April 15 will be ex-Lions player Peter Wheeler and Glenn Webb.

RECORDS FALL IN SCHOOLS CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPS CC Records fall in schools cross country champs Three records were smashed in the High School Cross Country Championships at Hog Bay Park this week.

Henry Talbot of Saltus broke a record set by triathlon star Tyler Butterfield in the under-15 boys category as he cruised to victory over the 2.25-mile course in 14 minutes, 22 seconds, nearly eight seconds better than Butterfield's old mark.

Butterfield, also of Saltus, still holds the record in the over-15s category, which he won again this year, though his time of 18:16 was 15 seconds outside his best.

CedarBridge's Shardae Whitter was another record-breaker trimming 1:27 off Shanay Scott's old record to win the under-15 girls race in 17:41.

But Scott kept her name in the record books by winning the over-15s race in 26:01, bettering the record by 14 seconds. Her Warwick Academy team-mate and previous record holder Jennifer Young pulled out of the race with an Achilles tendon injury. She was in second place at the time.

The honours were well spread out in the team event, with CedarBridge winning the under-15 boys and Bermuda High School the under-15 girls, while Warwick Academy won the over-15 boys and Saltus the over-15 girls.