Another full house to cheer on Team Bath as they conclude 2023 Netball Super League home campaign against Manchester Thunder
Team Bath Netball will have another capacity crowd behind them on Friday when they take on Manchester Thunder in their final home match of the 2023 Netball Super League season.
A club-record 12,200 tickets have been sold for the eight fixtures at the Team Bath Arena this year and it will be a full house once again when the Haines Watts-sponsored Blue & Gold face the defending champions live on Sky Sports (7.30pm centre-pass).
Asha Francis, Team Bath Netball Head Coach, said: “It will be great to finish our home season in front of another sell-out crowd, the support has been incredible. The call has been for netball fans to ‘Show Up’ and support the sport, and that’s exactly what our fans have done in big numbers this year.
“They have been so noisy, totally engaged in the matches, and it has been really uplifting to have that full-on support. It has probably been a very different season for many of the Team Bath fans to experience but it so heart-warming that people can see what we are building, and want to get behind us and be part of that amazing atmosphere.”
Friday’s Thunder clash will be a second match against title-chasing opposition in six days for Team Bath, who were beaten 66-45 at second-placed Surrey Storm last weekend. Watch the highlights here:
Three of the four quarters were closely fought, as in March’s reverse fixture, but the game got away from Team Bath in the second period as they slipped from 17-13 down after the opening 15 minutes to 38-22 adrift.
There were three 18-year-olds in the visitors’ youthful starting combination including training partner Phoebe Maslen, who made her second successive start at wing-defence in place of the injured Imogen Allison.
“I am really proud of Phoebe,” said Francis. “She was understandably nervous on her debut [against Strathclyde Sirens] but she played the full match against Storm and showed what she is capable of at this level against experienced opposition.
“We have to be mindful of where we are at this stage of our journey as a squad. The calibre of athletes we are facing against teams like Storm and Thunder is outstanding and they have that ‘game savvy’ which you only get through being exposed to different situations over the years.
“The expectation is not on us in these matches so the fact we are already competitive for long periods stands us in good stead. It’s really exciting for the future.”
