- Home
- Other Sports
- Chelsea Ready To Return For Wales On Gold Coast
The departure of head coach Trish Wilcox has given the Welsh netball team a timely Commonwealth Games boost with star shooter Chelsea Lewis reversing her decision to take a six month break from the international game.
It means the 24-year old is back in contention for a ticket to the Gold Coast and, after helping Team Bath crush the Celtic Dragons 54-35 in the Vitality Netball Super League in Cardiff on Monday, is likely to be one of the first names on the team sheet for Australia for what would be her second Games trip.
“Everybody has difficulty with different coaches and I think it was a clash,” Lewis told BBC Wales. “Welsh Netball have been great and welcomed me back with open arms.
“The change of management has opened the door again for me. I’m going to grab the opportunity and put my best foot forward. I’m really looking forward to the challenge of getting myself back on the plane to Australia.”
The conflict between Wilcox and Lewis meant Wales had to go into their 2019 World Cup qualifying tournament in Scotland without the Team Bath star. They finished third and missed out on a place in next year’s tournament in Liverpool.
At the 2015 World Cup in Australia, Lewis took the brunt of the pressure up front and scored 232 times to help Wales finish seventh – their highest finish since 1991. They won’t now be back in the tournament until at least 2023.
The consistency of Lewis as Goal Shooter at the top end of the court helped Team Bath beat Celtic Dragons 54-35 in the Super League this week.
She has a 78 per cent shooting success and has scored 21 goals in two games plus providing 27 assists to help her side get off to a flying start. They top the table after two rounds.
Wales and Celtic Dragons interim assistant coach Natalie Peperell will need no convincing of Lewis’ value after seeing her help undo the Dragons in their latest defeat.
“In my eyes, Chelsea has always been a fantastic shooter,” said Peperell. “She proved that again against us, so it’s going to be a real contest for the Welsh players as to who will make that final cut,” said Peperell.
Dragons are one of five teams still seeking a win after two rounds. Their 12 goal defeat (49-61) to last season’s bottom but one team, benecosMavericks, was followed by this week’s 19 goal loss to Team Bath (35-54).
They travel for the first time this season on Saturday to face the unbeaten Loughborough Lightning and then play Surrey Storm on home turf on Monday, February 26. Storm have yet to win, as have Severn Stars, who head to Cardiff on 10 March.
