Celtic Dragons’ Back-To-Back Home Matches Over Bank Holiday Weekend

Celtic Dragons play two Vitality Netball Superleague matches in three days over the Bank Holiday weekend.

They take on Manchester Storm next Saturday and Hertfordshire Mavericks on the following Monday (both 4pm).

Dragons still have five home fixtures to play at their Sport Wales National Centre headquarters in Cardiff, while there are two matches to be played away.

They earned a first Superleague win against Scottish club Sirens, but were rocked by a storming Team Bath display in the final quarter in their latest match.

Dragons led 37-36 after the first three quarters, but faded in the final 15 minutes.

“We were unfortunate to lose by 10 goals,” said centre Kyra Jones. “Going into the last quarter we were ahead by one. We stuck to procedures for 45 minutes, but we were patchy in the last 15. We did fade away and lost our identity slightly.

“Bath were consistent over the 60 minutes, but we made umpteen turnovers and there were massive improvements in the team performance. We need to do that for the full 60 minutes.”

The starting seven for Celtic Dragons was GK Kelly Morgan, GD Lois Rideout, WD Stacey Peeters, C Kyra Jones, WA Bethan Dyke, GA Kalifa McCollin, GS Eleanor Roberts.

Suzy Drane took over from Peeters in the second, while head coach Trish Wilcox sent out Leila Thomas at GK and Sara Bell at GA during the final quarter. McCollin switched to GS.

There were plenty of positives for Dragons. Rideout and Morgan formed an excellent partnership, while the centre court players worked together in a calm, composed way.

The Welsh team are now focused on their back-to-back home fixtures over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Their two remaining away fixtures are against Team Northumberland and Loughborough Lightning during May.

Three Dragons players plus three training partners have been selected for the Wales under 21 squad ahead of the Netball World Youth Cup 2017 in Botswana.

Lydia Hitchings, Leila Thomas, Fern Davies and training partners Megan Powell and Chloe James are in the final 12 selected. Lowri Jenkins has also been named as a reserve.

After qualifying for the World Cup in October 2016, the Wales under 21 long squad have been preparing for the international event which is played every four years.

Wales have been drawn in Pool D and will face England, Fiji, Trinidad and Tobago plus Grenada.

The Welsh squad will also compete at the annual Netball Europe championships in Aberdeen between May 11 and May 14. They play England, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Vitality Superleague Netball 

Celtic Dragons remaining home fixtures – all at Sport Wales National Centre, Cardiff

April

Saturday 29 v Manchester Thunder (4pm)

May

Monday 1 v Hertfordshire Mavericks (4pm)

Monday 15 v Surrey Storm (7pm)

Saturday 27 v Wasps (4pm)

June

Saturday 3 v Team Northumbria (2pm)

Tickets for all Dragons home games can be found at celticdragonsnetball.com