A new junior netball club hopes to buck a national trend by enticing teenage girls back to the game they embraced at school.

Harrow Tornadoes are just about to wrap up their West London Junior Net-ball League campaign but could have a daunting pre-season ahead of them.

Despite giving taster sessions to a raft of local schools, the team only has around half a dozen regular players for the seven-a-side league, at least six short of a core squad.

Now, with the backing of the sports development team at Harrow Council who helped get the club off the ground, the Tornadoes hope to whip up some frenzied interest within the local community.

Despite competing in the league's U14 age category, the club, one of just 14 in Middlesex, are seeking girls aged 11 upwards to ensure they have a full complement of players able to fulfil all of next season's fixtures.

Ben Rawlins, sports development officer at Harrow Council, said: "We've been trying to get the club off the ground for two years, but we've had to withdraw from some fixtures due to lack of numbers.

"When I first started in my post over two years ago, I felt netball was a sport that girls do not get the opportunity to keep participating in after they've finished school. I got feedback from schools and they said there were no clubs anywhere for girls to carry on playing the game. That is why we helped start the Tornadoes, but we need more players if it is to become a success." The club's launch at Harrow

High School 18 months ago attracted about 40 girls, yet the winter and adverse weather conditions cooled their interest.

Mr Rawlins admits some girls perceive netball to be exclusive only to schools, yet he is hoping to attract those players who developed a real love for the traditional game.

"It seems to be a case of girls play it at school, drop out of it and come back to it at a later stage of their life, when they are perhaps bored with the gym and other sports," he added. "We just want to give it a really big push now and we will review the situation in the summer."

Statistics from England Netball reveal the dropout rate for girls playing netball post-16 years of age is 70 per cent, yet England's national netball team is ranked as one of the top three sides in the world.

Mr Rawlins said: "It is not one of those sports where you will earn £100,000 a year, but it is a Commonwealth sport and it has plenty of health benefits."

Ahead of next season, the Tornadoes will play friendly matches, represent Harrow in the London Youth Games and enter summer local netball tournaments.

They practice every Sunday between 11am and 12.30pm at Kodak Sports Ground in Harrow View and cost is £1 per session.

*  Anyone interested in joining the Tornadoes can contact either the head coach, Rathi on 07988 513899 or Ben Rawlins on 020 8420 9692.