The final whistle sounded and the rush of emotion quickly took over.
Perth City Junior Netball Club had just been crowned winners of the Under-15 Scottish Cup and the celebrating, smiling faces told the story of how much it meant.
A narrow and hard-earned 61-58 victory against Holyrood Netball Club at the Emirates Arena also signalled a first Perth and Kinross win on this stage in a decade.
Coach Ashleigh Mazur was already prouder than could be before the final. So you can imagine how she feels now.
She told the PA: “The whole crowd started counting down those last 10 seconds until the final whistle and, at that point, we all knew we were going to win so the atmosphere was electric.
“That rush of emotions as we all ran onto the court to celebrate was something I nor the girls will ever forget.
“This win is the first time in 10 years a Perth and Kinross based club has won the Scottish Youth Cup.
“I think it’s a great boost not just for us as a team and a club but for netball as a whole throughout Perth and Kinross.
“We had supporters from all the various netball clubs in Perth and Kinross come through to cheer us on and I think that just shows how much it meant to everyone from the netball community as a whole.”
The showdown match, which was part of ‘Super Saturday’ in Glasgow, was a nervous watch for those perched on the sidelines. Little separated the teams throughout.
“We started out strong, which is unlike us,” Ashleigh smiled. “We normally take a while to settle but the girls came out fighting.
“During the second quarter we even managed to extend our lead by 10 goals but then Holyrood got back in and closed the gap and, by half-time, we were only leading by three.
“We managed to hold onto this three-goal lead and finish the game off winning 61 to their 58.
“The game was so hard to watch. It felt like the longest hour of my life while it was on and then, as soon as the whistle went, it was as if time had sped up.
“But the girls were just fantastic to watch. Every single one of them worked so hard for the full 60 minutes.”
Of course, the team - and the club - will be targeting more success in the future but there was also importance in enjoying the moment with this latest achievement.
“I think everyone was just so happy on Saturday,” Ashleigh explained.
“For all the players and supporters, it was just sheer joy. The girls really deserved the win after all their hard work this season, so I was just so happy for them.”
