Blue & Gold star Jayda Pechova helps Vitality Roses win bronze at 2023 FAST5 Netball World Series
Team Bath’s Jayda Pechova secured the first podium placing of her senior international career when she helped England Netball win bronze at the 2023 FAST5 Netball World Series in Christchurch, New Zealand.
It was a second successive appearance at the tournament for the 19-year-old defender, who featured in all six of the Vitality Roses’ matches – starting three of them – during an action-packed weekend of competition.
It was bookended by victories over South Africa, England winning 37-26 in their opening round-robin match and then coming out on top 30-22 in a tense bronze-medal showdown. They also beat Malawi 41-30 and Jamaica 33-27, with their only defeats coming against the eventual finalists – hosts New Zealand (32-21) and gold-medallists Australia (37-16).
Pechova combines her netball career with studying Sports Performance at the University of Bath, where she is supported by a Trendell Sporting Scholarship.
Shooter Paige Reed, herself a former University of Bath sporting scholar and Team Bath Netball Super League player, was England’s standout performer at FAST5 and named as overall Player of the Series after winning three player of the match awards.
