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NETBALL:

Neville hails impact of new faces
NORTHERN Thunder’s National Talent League squad enjoyed three wins out of three at the Triangle Leisure Centre in Sussex.

The first clash saw Thunder, who feature a sprinkling of Oldham players, avenge last year’s defeat to Mavericks in the same competition, this time emerging with a 46-40 win after an hour of cat-and-mouse netball.

Next up were Team South. A slow start from Paul Harper’s side, partly due to the effort they put in against Mavericks, gave their rivals hope.

But fresh legs from the bench supplied a vital boost and put them on their way to a 51-24 victory.

Thunder faced a physical and vocal West Midland Warriors side 24 hours later and, despite a tough encounter, earned a 48-40 triumph. Harper said: “Our girls were determined to work together as units and a team to achieve their goals. Considering the youth within the squad and the fact that this is the first season for some of our girls, their composure was highly commendable.

“All 12 athletes played during the course of the weekend and were led well by captain Eleanor Cardwell. Though the three out of three wins was a great team effort, Beth Cobden was magnificent and

certainly my player of the weekend.”

Thunder’s director of netball, Tracey Neville, watched all three matches. She said: “Moving into the New Year and the start of the Fiat Superleague campaign, I was extremely pleased with our new squad imports Eleanor Cardwell and Beth Cobden who led from the front. Congratulations to all the Thunder National Talent League staff, who have set a high standard.”