Hannah Passmore looking to build on big breakthrough year after being named in 2022 Blue & Gold Superleague squad
After a year in which she made both her Vitality Superleague and England U21 debuts, shooting star Hannah Passmore says she is ready to push on after being named in the Team Bath Netball squad for a fourth successive season.
She may only be 20 but Passmore has been part of the Haines Watts-sponsored Blue & Gold squad since 2018, gaining plenty of experience during high-intensity training sessions and two British Fast5 All-Stars appearances.
In March she became the 79th player to represent Team Bath at Superleague level when she came on for her top-flight debut during an impressive victory over London Pulse, completing her journey through the Blue & Gold ranks having played at U17, U19 and U21 level.
Her rise continued over the summer when she was selected for the England U21 squad and Passmore says she is buzzing ahead of the new campaign.
“It’s been a really good year,” said Passmore, who combines netball with studying Criminology at the University of Bath where she is supported by a Buchan Jones Sporting Scholarship.
“I made my Superleague debut last season and that has given me more confidence. I’m looking forward to getting more court time this season, coming up against different opposition and improving my game as much as I can. Having got the nerves out of the way, I’m very excited to get more exposure and see what the Superleague brings.
“It’s been great to be part of the England U21 team this year too. We had a competition during the summer against Wales, Scotland and the England U19 team, and that was a great bit of match-play to be involved in with a great group of girls. We have some more camps coming up before a test series in November ahead of the Roses matches against Jamaica, which I’m really looking forward to. It’s great to get exposure to game-play in a different setting and bring that experience back into the Superleague.”
Team Bath, who are also backed by Rengen, lost out in the 2021 Superleague final but Passmore believes that setback can act as a driving force during the 2022 season which gets under way in February.
“Reaching the final was such an experience, you could see with some of the older girls just how much they wanted it,” she said. “We want to bring that momentum with us and hopefully get the win this time, we’re definitely capable of it.
“We’ve all experienced the final now and it will be great to see what we can do this time round. Setbacks happen in sport and it’s about how you learn from them and progress.”
Tickets for the 2022 Superleague season will go on sale later this month. Visit netball.teambath.com/tickets for more information.
