Wasps U21 start the year strong

Wasps Netball’s young guns are enjoying a strong start to the season while the senior players are also shining on the international stage.

The Under 21s opened the year with a nail-biting 43-42 win against last year’s league winners Manchester Thunder in Sheffield on Saturday.

A goal in the final seconds from Katarina Short proved the difference between the two sides, on a day that all seven out of the eight teams in the NPL U21 competition competed at EIS Sheffield.

The win builds on a successful beginning of the season for the Wasps Netball development teams.

The Under 19s won both games in a double header to open their campaign in Nottingham.

Head Coach Lesley Blair’s team produced two convincing victories against Mavericks and Team Bath on the day, winning by more than 20 goals in each fixture.

The wins for the development teams mean that Wasps Netball are unbeaten at all levels so far this season, after the senior team opened their Vitality Netball Superleague campaign in style by beating Loughborough Lightning 72-42.

The senior side’s mid-court pairing of Jade Clarke and Bongi Msomi were also in action for their respective countries in the Quad Series last weekend.

Clarke started at wing defence for England in their 54-41 win against New Zealand, while Msomi captained a spirited South Africa team in their 62-45 defeat against Australia.

England and South Africa meet on Saturday at the Copper Box Arena in London in the second round of the Quad Series games, with Clarke and Msomi set to go head-to-head in a mid-court battle.

Sarah Taylor, Wasps Netball Franchise Manager, said: “It’s fantastic that all three of our squads have started their season in such impressive fashion, the success of the U19s and U21s shows the future is bright here at Wasps Netball.

“Jade and Bongi both put in great performances to start the Quad Series and I know that all of the Wasps fans will be tuned in to see England v South Africa on Saturday.”

Wasps Netball will face London Pulse next in the Superleague on Saturday 26 January, before taking on Surrey Storm on Saturday 2 February to complete a two-game away stint.

Fans can next see Wasps Netball in action at Ricoh Arena on Monday 11 February when they take on Saracens Mavericks (7pm centre-pass).

Season Memberships are now on sale, and individual tickets for the first six home Vitality Netball Superleague fixtures of the 2019 season are also available.

Visit www.waspsnetball.co.uk for more information.