Eight Team Bath players feature in England squads for international series
Eight members of Team Bath’s Netball Superleague squad will represent England in forthcoming fixtures against world number two team New Zealand, as well as Jamaica and Wales.
England have two teams playing in the series, which runs from 17 to 21 January with games at Wembley Arena and the Copper Box Arena in London.
Four members of Team Bath’s 2014 Superleague squad – Rosie Allison, Pamela Cookey, Stacey Francis and Serena Guthrie – feature in the senior England squad for the series.
Cookey (right)captains a squad that also includes former Team Bath players Ama Agbeze, Eboni Beckford Chambers, Kadeen Corbin, Sasha Corbin and Geva Mentor.
The England A team, coached by Team Bath head coach Jess Thirlby, also features a quartet of Team Bath Superleague players.
Sixteen-year-old defender Summer Artman is called into the England A squad for the first time. She joins Shaunagh Craig, Yasmin Parsons and Mia Ritchie in the squad. Another Team Bath player, Scarlett Williams, is reserve.
Summer (right), who is from Bristol and currently studying for A Levels at King Edward’s School in Bath, said: “I feel really blessed and honoured to be given this opportunity. I’m determined to make an impact.
“It will be a great experience and I’m really looking forward to it. I’m mostly looking forward to playing Jamaica. Despite my age, I have worked hard for this. I’m very excited”.
Thirlby added: “It’s a great boost to have eight Team Bath players in the two England squads for the series where they will face some of the best teams in the world.”
England seniors will play New Zealand and Jamaica in the Tri-series, with England A also facing New Zealand, Jamaica, who are ranked four in the world, and Wales.
Top-flight netball returns to Bath on Friday 31 January when Team Bath begin their 2014 Superleague campaign with a home fixture against Team Northumbria at the University of Bath Sports Training Village.
Team Bath are the most successful team in Superleague history, having won five of the eight campaigns contested to date.
Further information about Team Bath’s home Superleague fixtures is available from the Team Bath website.
England fixtures
Tri-Series
Friday 17 January – New Zealand v Jamaica, Wembley Arena
Saturday 18 January – England v Jamaica, Wembley Arena
Monday 20 January – England v New Zealand, Copper Box Arena
Additional International Fixture
Tuesday 21 January – England v Jamaica, Copper Box Arena
England ‘A’ Fixtures
Friday 17 January – England ‘A’ v England, Wembley Arena
Saturday 18 January – England ‘A’ v Wales, Wembley Arena
Monday 20 January – England ‘A’ v Jamaica, Copper Box Arena
Tuesday 21 January – England ‘A’ v New Zealand, Copper Box Arena
