Bath alumnae named in Team England women’s rugby sevens squad for Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games

26 March 2018

University of Bath graduates Deborah Fleming, Natasha Hunt and Amy Wilson Hardy have been named in the Team England women’s rugby sevens squad for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

It is the first time that the sport will have been contested at a Commonwealth Games, with England being drawn against Fiji, host nation Australia and Wales in Pool B.

Hunt, who studied Coach Education & Sports Development, and Wilson Hardy, an Integrated Mechanical & Electrical Engineering graduate, both competed for Great Britain at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and have extensive experience for England in both the seven and 15-a-side formats.

Both represented the University of Bath Women’s Rugby team in British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) competitions and were supported by the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) during their studies.

Deborah Fleming (above) is going to the Gold Coast with Natasha Hunt and Amy Wilson Hardy (top)

Sport & Social Sciences graduate Fleming represented the University in both netball and athletics, winning sprint medals for the Blue and Gold at the 2010 and 2011 BUCS Championships, before switching to rugby sevens through the UK Sport Talent Transfer Programme, Power2Podium.

After recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, she made her England Sevens debut in 2016 before becoming a full-time member of the squad last year.

James Bailey, England Women’s head coach, said: “We are really looking forward to competing at the Commonwealth Games, the players and management have worked tremendously hard to bring this squad together and also transition the experienced 15s players back to sevens within in a short time frame.

“We have a lot of incredibly talented, world-class players in this side who are willing to work exceptionally hard for each other – and it’s that level of dedication and commitment that we’re hoping will bring success at the Games.”

Today’s selection means that 38 University of Bath-associated sportspeople, including 14 graduates, have so far been selected for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, which are running from April 4-15.

Thirty of them, including six current students, are based at the University’s £30million Sports Training Village. Click here to see a full list of those selected.

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