Jade Clarke to captain new look Loughborough Lightning squad

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Loughborough Lightning have announced their long squad for the forthcoming Vitality Netball Superleague season, which kicks off on ‘Super Saturday’ at the Genting Arena, Birmingham on Saturday 30^th January.

Spearheaded by newly unveiled captain Jade Clarke, the squad has been bolstered over the summer with the signing of England internationals Ama Agbeze, Kadeen Corbin, Sasha Corbin and the aforementioned Clarke.

There are still plenty of familiar faces in the squad however, with 2015 Loughborough

University graduate Hannah Joseph taking her place alongside students Lauren Massey, Vanessa Walker and Harrie Gill. There is also the welcome addition of 18 year old Loughborough College student Brittany Coleman, who has made great progress through the East Midlands Regional Programme.

Add to that New Zealander Jo Trip and the return of Uganda’s World Cup star Peace Proscovia and there is an understandable excitement surrounding the Lightning setup as they ramp up their preparations for the 2016 season.

After a busy summer which has seen five big name signings join the Lightning ranks, Head Coach Karen Atkinson was in a very positive mood as she unveiled the 15 women who make up her long squad. “I am thrilled with the make-up of the squad this season.  If you’d have told me in August that I would get the chance to coach this mix of players this year I don’t think I would have believed it.  There are some unbelievably talented players within the squad and the combination of youth, rising Lightning stars and experienced campaigners is exciting.

“The task that Olivia [Murphy] and I have is to ensure we get the best out of all of them and that they combine effectively on the court.  We have real strength in depth so competition for places on the court will be high, which is exactly what you want in a performance environment.

“Training has been going extremely well and the players have been working hard.  We have a few more pre-season matches lined up to prepare the group further, starting with our Tri-Showdown against Team Bath and Team Northumbria on Saturday.”

Of the announcement of Jade Clarke as her captain for the campaign ahead, Atkinson added: “It is an honour for Olivia and I to be able to work with Jade in a leadership capacity.  We have such respect for her as a player, and the rest of the group definitely look up to her – she sets a fantastic example both on and off the court.”

Tickets for the Tri-Franchise Showdown this Saturday 12^th December can be purchased here.

Loughborough Lightning long squad:

Shooters: Peace Proscovia, Vanessa Walker, Brittany Coleman, Harrie Gill, Kadeen Corbin (subject to fitness)

Mid Court: Hannah Joseph, Sasha Corbin, Natalie Panagarry, Jade Clarke (captain), Lauren Nicholls

Defenders: Lauren Massey, Rachel Sweet, Ama Agbeze, Jo Trip, Rebekah Airey

Report courtesy of Loughborough Lightning