The U21s, coached by Natalie Roddy and Anya Le Monnier, were in fine form as they recorded a 72-29 success, the biggest winning margin of the weekend.

Team Bath U21s

England U21 international Daisy Harrison’s dynamic defending made her the opposition’s pick as player of the match, while coaches’ player was Ife Danso for her tireless work rate. Super League Training Partner Lily Jones earned the values award for leading by example on and off the court.

It was a closer contest in the U19 showdown but the Blue And Gold, coached by Holly Duerden and assistant Layla Slade, came out on top 51-38. Six of the regular squad were missing so U17s Sophie Lock, Orla Farrelly and Millie White stepped up to great effect, the latter sharing the coaches’ player of the match award with Ash Browne who was also the opposition’s pick of the players. Lily Rutland’s amazing performance at GD was recognised with the values award.

Both teams are in action again on Saturday 9th December as they entertain Saracens Mavericks at Prior Park College, with the U19s up first at 1.30pm followed by the U21s at 3.15pm. Spectators are welcome.

With thanks to Team Bath

The Blue & Gold’s U21s, U19s and U17s – supported by Team Bath principal sponsors Haines Watts – all finished fourth in their age-groups after a busy weekend of competition.

Team Bath’s U21s finished runners-up in Group A following excellent victories over London Pulse (37-32), Severn Stars (39-31) and Saracens Mavericks (40-27), with their only defeat coming against table-toppers Manchester Thunder (35-27).

Eventual gold-medallists Loughborough Lightning proved too strong in the semi-finals, winning 46-28, and Team Bath were defeated 41-30 by Central Warriors in the battle for bronze.

The U19 tournament saw Team Bath beat Lightning (29-16) and Surrey Storm (25-22) to take second place on goal difference in a highly-competitive Group A, despite narrow defeats to Thunder (26-23) and Mavericks (30-24).

Thunder went on to edge out Team Bath for a second time in the bronze-medal match, winning 30-25, after the Blue & Gold had lost 37-28 to Warriors in the semi-finals.

Team Bath’s U17s were in fine form in Group A as victories over Leeds Rhinos (37-25), North East Phoenix (38-31) and Stars (35-21) secured second spot behind Thunder, who inflicted the Blue & Gold’s only round-robin defeat (34-26).

They produced another excellent performance in the semi-finals, only losing out 30-28 to eventual champions Lightning, and made Thunder work hard for their 37-33 win in the bronze-medal match.

Natalie Roddy, Team Bath Netball Academy Head Coach, said: “I am so proud of the players and coaches. Our pathway is growing and developing and for all three age groups to make top-four really demonstrates the consistency and depth of our programme. It’s very exciting for the future.

“The NPL tournament is an amazing opportunity for our athletes, an intensive competition with six matches across four days, and the experience of playing so many franchises is such a great development opportunity.”

Team Bath Netball are inviting talented young netballers from the South West of England to trial for their U17, U19 and U21 squads for the 2023-24 campaign, as well as their Futures, Senior and Junior Player Development Programme (PDP) squads.

All of the trials will be taking place at the Team Bath Sports Training Village in September and expressions of interest are now being accepted. Visit https://netball.teambath.com/npl-pdp-trials/ for more details.

Team Bath Netball NPL Tournament 2023 squads

Team Bath Netball U21: Ife Danso, Ellie Ervine, George Ford, Ellie Gabriel, Amaya Herold, Charlotte Jennings-Evans, Lily Jones, Sophie Kelly, Phoebe Maslen, Effie Robinson, Olivia Selby, Poppy Tydeman. Coaches: Natalie Roddy, Anya Le Monnier. Team manager: Vicky Carnall.

Team Bath Netball U19: Ashleigh Browne, Alice Clark, Daisy Harrison, Becca Hinkins, Faye Kinsella, Roisin O’Rourke, Erin Peskin, Lily Rutland, Thea Rhodes, Charlotte Steer, Holly Thompson. Coaches: Holly Duerden, Layla Slade. Team manager: Roni Peck.

Team Bath Netball U17: Izzy Baker, Sascha Dale, Ane De Wet, Mae Haines, Sope Ilelaboye, Sophie Lock, Zoe Maynard, Neve Mortimer, Fechi Ofakor, Olivia Pitt, Alice Potter, Martha Vujicic. Coaches: Chantelle Cox, Brittany Johnson. Team manager: Kelly Browne.

The U21s, who won bronze in the league, have included three Team Bath 2023 Super League players in their exciting squad – Lily Jones, Sophie Kelly and Phoebe Maslen.

Daisy Harrison and Lily Rutland, who were named as overall Player of the Season for the U19 and U17 league campaigns respectively, both feature in a Team Bath U19 squad looking to build on their fourth-placed finish in the league table.

Team Bath’s U17s won NPL South silver medals during the league season and will look forward to testing themselves on the full national stage. They will face Leeds Rhinos, Manchester Thunder, North East Phoenix and Severn Stars in their group matches.

The U19s take on Loughborough Lightning, Thunder, Surrey Storm and Mavericks, while the U21s will face London Pulse, Thunder, Stars and Mavericks in their group fixtures.

Team Bath’s NPL squads are supported by Haines Watts, the Blue & Gold’s principal sponsor.

NPL tournament squads

Team Bath Netball U21: Ife Danso, Ellie Ervine, George Ford, Ellie Gabriel, Amaya Herold, Charlotte Jennings-Evans, Lily Jones, Sophie Kelly, Phoebe Maslen, Effie Robinson, Olivia Selby, Poppy Tydeman. Coaches: Natalie Roddy, Anya Le Monnier. Team manager: Vicky Carnall.

Team Bath Netball U19: Isobel Bailey, Ashleigh Browne, Alice Clark, Daisy Harrison, Becca Hinkins, Faye Kinsella, Roisin O’Rourke, Erin Peskin, Lily Rutland, Thea Rhodes, Charlotte Steer, Holly Thompson. Coaches: Holly Duerden, Layla Slade. Team manager: Roni Peck.

Team Bath Netball U17: Izzy Baker, Sascha Dale, Ane De Wet, Mae Haines, Sope Ilelaboye, Sophie Lock, Zoe Maynard, Neve Mortimer, Fechi Ofakor, Olivia Pitt, Alice Potter, Martha Vujicic. Coaches: Chantelle Cox, Brittany Johnson. Team manager: Kelly Browne.

With thanks to Team Bath

The University of Nottingham hosted the opening day of the new NPL campaign on Saturday, with Team Bath’s U21s – coached by Natalie Roddy and Anya Le Monnier – producing two impressive performances to beat Saracens Mavericks 59-35 and Loughborough Lightning 50-42.

The U21 squad for 2021-22 is Kemi Afolayan, Victoria Booth, Isabelle Claxton, Meg Conabeare, Nia Evans, George Ford, Lauren Francis, Amaya Herold, Molly Hole, Charlotte Jennings-Evans, Lily Jones, Isla May, Jasmine Nightingale, Jemma Nightingale, Effie Robinson, Poppy Tydeman and Daisy West.

The U19s, led by Head Coach Kara Gonzalez assisted by Holly Duerden, bounced back well from a 58-45 defeat to Mavericks to beat Lightning 58-48 in their second match of the day.

Making up Team Bath’s U19 squad this season is Deni Agnew, Giselle Burnett, Alice Clark, Esme Cornelius, Ife Danso, Ellie Ervine, Ellie Gabriel, Daisy Harrison, Becca Hinkins, Fearne Maine, Lara Makin, Bryony O’Hare, Charlotte Steer, Bella Valeur-adu, Amirah Weightman-Dauda, Ella Williams (Devon) and Ella Williams (Somerset).

Both teams are back in action on Sunday 16^th January when they host Severn Stars at SGS College in Bristol, with centre-pass for the U21s at 12pm and the U19s at 2pm.

Molly Hole and Lily Jones then headed to Manchester to join up with the Haines Watts-sponsored Superleague squad for the second day of the Rise Again Festival.

Training associates Georgia Jenkins, Annie O’Rourke and Caitlin Rowley – all of whom have played NPL for Team Bath – also featured in a youthful squad for the two-day tournament featuring nine of the other Superleague franchises and two leading men’s teams.

Day 1 saw Team Bath, who are also supported by Rengen, involved in two cracking contests as they beat Strathclyde Sirens 33-31 before being edged out 35-32 by Surrey Storm to finish second in Pool D. Another close-fought match on Sunday saw the Blue & Gold defeat Wasps 27-24 before a 43-17 loss to Knights Men meant they finished sixth overall.

Team Bath Superleague Head Coach Anna Stembridge said: “We were without a number of players but it was a fantastic chance for those involved to enjoy some really high-quality match play and they all embraced that opportunity.

“Both games on Day 1 in particular were brilliant contests and exactly what you want from a pre-season match, the chance to test out new combinations under pressure.”

Team Bath Netball is supported by its Principal and Pathway Partner, chartered accountants Haines Watts; Rengen Developments, who are an overall Team Bath Partner; Centurion Chartered Financial Planners and Ecus Ltd, our environment partner. Team Bath’s suppliers include O’Neills, 2XU, Pulseroll and Halo Hydration.

With thanks to the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight

Both squads were able to play all but one of their regular league matches before the season was cut short in March by the coronavirus pandemic.

Players’ Player of the Year for the U21s was England age-group defender Rachael Fee, who was also a member of the Blue & Gold’s Vitality Superleague squad for the 2020 season.

Elisha New was Coaches’ Player of the Year and Ceri Evans was named as Most Improved Player, while the Endeavour Award went to co-captain Caitlyn Rowley.

Nikki Lloyd, U21 Head Coach, said: “We were disappointed when the season was cut short but it has been a really positive season for this new group of players, as well as a new management team, and we have all enjoyed working together.

“A key reflection for us all was on the connections and relationships we built during a short period which led to strong improvements on court in a number of games. Those players who will be returning in this age group next season are already looking forward to building on this and excited about what we can achieve.
“Thank you to the management team and to Hannah [Passmore] and Caitlin for their strong, committed and positive leadership as co-captains.

“I also thank those who are leaving the NPL age groups – Elisha, Ceri, Beth Johnson, Georgia Jenkins, Gemma Dawson, Anna Lebe and Carys Allen – for their hard work and commitment while representing the Blue & Gold over the years.”

Like the U21s, Team Bath’s U19s produced several strong performances during their league season and sat fifth in the NPL table when the season was curtailed.

Academy Head Coach Natalie Roddy, who assisted Lois Jackson in coaching the U19s, said: “We had a great season, bringing together a number of new young players to add to the existing experience. This combination proved to create a great development squad, evidenced by their growth and improvement through the season.

“It was particularly disappointing that this talented group of players could not complete the season and go to the NPL tournament in July as they promised great things.”

Jackson, who was Roddy’s predecessor as Academy Head Coach, added: “As I was stepping away from my role, this season really meant a lot to me. It was made so special through the amazing support from Nat and Vicky [Carnall, team manager] who created a seamless experience for myself, the office and the players.

“We are all gutted that we couldn’t take part in the last game of the season and the NPL tournament as the team had developed so much throughout the season and demonstrated such fight and determination. I look forward to seeing this group of players progress over the next few years as they really are an exciting group.”

The end-of-season presentations saw shooter Lily Jones, who boasted a conversion rate of more than 90 per cent despite playing up an age group, win the Players’ Player of the Year award.

Molly Hole, who captained England U17s to a successful defence of their Netball Europe title in March, took the Impact Player of the Year honour after excelling at both ends of the court, while captain Emily Becconsall was named as Coaches’ Player of the Year after showing levels of maturity beyond her years on and off the court.

Players from both squads come from across the Netball South West region, with many of the netballers part of the Team Bath Futures Pathway development programme. Visit netball.teambath.com/futures-pathway to find out more.

Courtesy of the Team Bath Press Office via Matchtight

The Blue & Gold squads feature an exciting combination of Superleague stars, England age-group internationals and talented youngsters coming through the Team Bath Futures Pathway in the South West of England.

Lois Jackson, Team Bath Academy Head Coach, said: “Preparation for this tournament started in September last year, so I’m thrilled to see the finished product as all players and coaches have worked extremely hard.

“The NPL tournament is an exciting, fast-paced, action-packed weekend and it will be great to see Team Bath match up against the different franchises and play some top netball in front of the England selectors.”

Team Bath’s U21s will be looking to go one step further than last year when they were edged out in a high-quality final by Manchester Thunder.

This year’s squad includes 2019 Vitality Superleague Young Player of the Year Sophie Drakeford-Lewis and fellow Superleague players Abi Robson and Hannah Passmore, as well as Rachael Fee who has just finished a tour of Australia and New Zealand with England U19s.

Rosie Bartlett and Molly Hole, who represented England at this year’s Netball Europe U17 Championships, are in the U17 squad and there is a host of talent and experience in Team Bath’s U19 ranks too.

The NPL Tournament is taking place at the University of Nottingham from July 25-28.

Team Bath’s Futures Pathway programme is supported by Netball South West and sponsored by Soldi.

NPL squads

Team Bath U21: Hannah Passmore, Sophie Drakeford-Lewis, Georgia Jenkins, Anya LeMonnier, Kirsty Harris, Elisha New, Abi Robson, Annabel Staley, Caitlyn Rowley, Eleri Michael, Carys Allen, Rachael Fee.

Head Coach: Nikki Lloyd.
Assistant Coach: Rachel Shaw.
Team Manager: Tracey Philips.

Team Bath U19: Sophie Orchard, Emma Payne, Megan Conabeare, Millie Pearce, Emily Becconsall, Nia Evans, Olivia Mitchell, Maya Meredith, Anna Brophy, Annie O’Rourke, George Ford, Jo Leslie.

Head Coach: Philippa Hicks.
Assistant Coach: Tammie Anderson.
Team Manager: Vicky Carnall.

Team Bath U17: Molly Hole, Rosie Bartlett, Daisy Collett, Izzy Hopkins, Liberty Hartley, Fabienne Bull, Sophie Ewin, Ellie Jupp, Emily Cridland, Mia Regan, Isla May, Lucy Taylor-Hunt. Training partners: India Monllor, Charlotte Steer.

Head Coach: Lois Jackson.
Assistant Coach: Emma Isaac.
Team Manager: Nicky Savill.

Courtesy of the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight

The duo are joined by fellow University of Bath sporting scholars and Vitality Superleague players Imogen Allison and Tash Pavelin in a strong Blue & Gold U21 squad for the event, taking place from July 25-29.

Abi Robson, who made her Superleague debut this year, and Chartie Curtis, captain of England U19s on their summer tour of Australia, are also in the squad along with Elisha New, Anya Le Monnier, Kirsty Harris, Hannah Passmore and Hannah Blackman. Jess Thirlby is Head Coach and will be assisted by Nikki Lloyd, while Tracey Phillips is Team Manager.

Both Drakeford-Lewis and Reed have been selected for the England Roses Futures development programme, while fellow Blue and Gold stars Kadeen Corbin and Layla Guscoth are in the senior England Roses squad for a 2018-19 season that concludes with the Netball World Cup in Liverpool.

Team Bath U21s have been drawn against Loughborough Lighnting, Manchester Thunder and Surrey Storm in Pool A, while Wasps, Severn Stars, benecosMavericks and Team Northumbria are in the other group.

The U19 competition will see Team Bath line up against Mavericks, Wasps, Storm and London Pulse in Group D. Representing the Blue & Gold are Georgia Jenkins, Emma Payne, Hannah Barnes, Charlie Plumridge, Millie Pearce, Lizzie McGechie, Maddie Durham, Immy Stringer, Jade Peckham, Maya Meredith, Annie O’Rourke and Rachael Fee. Head Coach is Leanne Lewis, Emma Isaac is her assistant and Team Manager is Vicky Carnall.

Team Bath U17s will be coached by David White, assisted by Academy Head Coach Lois Rideout, and Nicky Savill is Team Manager. Georgie Ford, Anna Brophy, Mia Regan, Isla May, Emily Becconsall, Meg Connabeare, Liv Mitchell, Sophie Ewin, Molly Hole, Rosie Barlett, Ella Warner and Sophie Orchard are in a Blue & Gold squad that will face Surrey Storm, Team Northumbria, Wales, Wasps and Yorkshire in their group.

All of the squads will be supported by physio Rhianon Stidever and performance analyst Pippa Baldrey during the tournament.

For more information about the Team Bath Netball Futures Programme and how it is developing the next generation of talented players, visit netball.teambath.com/futures-pathway.

Courtesy of the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight Ltd.

The Blue and Gold, coached by Leanne Lewis and Emma Isaac, showed tremendous determination and character during two tight games, coming from behind to beat West Country rivals Severn Stars 43-40 before edging out Loughborough Lightning 54-51.

Supporters will be able to see the talented squad in action at the Team Bath Arena when they take on Surrey Storm on February 24, Manchester Thunder before the Superleague meeting between the clubs on March 9, and Wasps on March 31. Admission is free.

Captain Hannah Barnes, who has already represented Team Bath at U21 level, features in the U19 squad for a second successive season as do Maddie Durham, Millie Pearce, George Jenkins, Caitlyn Oates and Lauren Wood.

Emily Becconsall, Meg Connebeare, Rachael Fee, Maya Meredith, vice-captain Annie O’Rourke and Emma Payne make the step up from the U17 squad, while Emily Porter, Jade Peckham, Immy Stringer and training partner Charlie Plumridge will all represent the Blue & Gold for the first time. Vicky Carnall is team manager.

All of the players are part of the Team Bath Netball Futures pathway and train each week at one of the five regional Academies and Hubs that have been established across the South West.

Head Coach Lewis, who will be assisted by Isaac, said: “We are very excited for the season ahead and are aiming to finish in the top end of the table.

“We have a very promising squad, a mixture of experience and youth which is great for the future, and we have huge faith in our girls who have been training hard over the last few weeks.

“Emma and I are going to be challenged on and off the court each week, which is a great opportunity to be given as coaches. It is a real honour to be part of such a fantastic franchise – we will all wear our Blue and Gold with pride and hope we do it justice this season.”

Team Bath U21s (Photo: Matchtight)

Team Bath have also named a squad packed with promise and potential for the U21 NPL competition, which they will start against Surrey Storm at the Team Bath Arena on Saturday, February 24 at 1pm – after the franchises meet in the U19 NPL.

Superleague stars Imogen Allison, Sophie Drakeford-Lewis, Tash Pavelin, Paige Reed and Abi Robson are all in the U21 squad along with training partner Chartie Curtis, who will captain the Blue & Gold in the NPL.

Christina Shaw, Imogen Spark, Kirsty Harris and Liberty Burnett continue in the U21 squad for a second season, while Anya LeMonnier, Annabel Staley, Elisha New and Hannah Passmore make the step up from the U19s.

Vice-captain Hannah Blackman, Amy Omakobia, Maisie Sharp and training partner Emmie Blamey are also in a squad coached by Denise Ellis and Nikki Lloyd, with Tracey Phillips as team manager.

Ellis said: “The U21 coaching team have been working with this group of players for the last few months and are pleased with the commitment and development they have made. It is a strong group and we are looking forward to delivering good performances over the season.”

The NPL features the eight English Superleague franchises plus two invited teams in U19 competition, London Pulse and Yorkshire, and provides an opportunity for potential Superleague stars to gain national competition experience.

Report courtesy of the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight