Positive vibes in Blue & Gold camp ahead of Scottish Superleague sojourn to face Strathclyde Sirens

Team Bath Netball will be looking to build on their positive start to the 2019 Vitality Superleague season when they make the long journey to Glasgow to face Strathclyde Sirens on Friday (January 11, 7.30pm).

The Sitec-sponsored Blue & Gold produced impressive performances across the court as they overcame Celtic Dragons 58-41 in the first game of the season-opening Super 10 event at Arena Birmingham on Saturday.

Scottish franchise Sirens also demonstrated why they are being tipped as potential top-four contenders this season when they defeated Surrey Storm 56-38, with New Zealand international shooter Cat Tuivaiti producing an instant impact on her Superleague debut.

Jess Thirlby, Team Bath Netball Head Coach, said: “We are looking forward to what we know will be a challenge when we visit Sirens. They have had some changes in the off season and there’s no ignoring the groundbreaking signing of Cat Tuivaiti who is arguably one of the best shooters in the world.

“We know they will be feeling confident after a good opening win against Surrey Storm but we are focusing very much on ourselves, the brand of netball we want to play and the level of performance we know we are capable of.

“We will keep demanding that from each other in training this week. There’s a positive vibe amongst the team and a great atmosphere and we can’t wait to get back out there.”

The Sirens match comes before a mini break for the Vitality International Series, which gets under way in Liverpool on Sunday when England face New Zealand (6pm).

Commonwealth champions Serena Guthrie – who will captain the Roses – and Eboni Usoro-Brown have both been named in the 12-strong squad for the series, which also includes matches in London against South Africa and Australia.

Team Bath’s first home game of the season is against Surrey Storm on Monday, January 28 (7pm). Tickets for that match and all the other fixtures at the Team Bath Arena are on sale now – click here for details.

Team Bath Netball are sponsored by Sitec and supported by partners Mogers Drewett, Soldi and Netball South West. Centurion Chartered Financial Planners are supporting the team’s performance analysis and people development capabilities, Viper 10 are their Sportswear Supplier and Skins provide the team with compression wear.

Picture credit: @elizahopephoto