Duo’s sights on gold-medal glory

NETBALL: FORMER Oldham players Jade Clarke and Sara Bayman are in England’s 12-strong squad for the Commonwealth Games which get under way on October 3 in Delhi.

And the pair, who play for Northern Thunder, are fixing their sights on challenging Australia for the gold medal.

England won bronze to mark the sport’s Games’ debut in 1998 and repeated that feat four years ago in Melbourne.

Clarke and Bayman were instrumental in pushing Thunder into the Superleague play-offs last season, with their solid partnership in centre court like a brick wall for many teams.

The duo’s ball-hunting skills are notorious and they have gained much praise from England coach Sue Hawkins.

Clarke, who will win her 50th international cap while in India, said: “The team is an exciting mix of youth and experience. We’re all very excited about India and can’t wait to compete as England.”

Having recently travelled to Australia to complete a two-week training tour with the England Netball long squad, Hawkins is confident the team will succeed in Delhi.

She said: “The team are committed to showing the world that England is a force to be reckoned with.”

The England team leaves for Delhi on Tuesday and will compete against New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, The Cook Islands, South Africa and Barbados in the pool section.