Tania’s Dragons – Pride Of Netball In Wales

Vitality SuperLeague Celtic Dragons. ©Steve Pope Sportingwales

Celtic Dragons, the pride of Welsh netball, launch the 2019 Vitality Netball Superleague season at Arena Birmingham on Saturday. Head coach Tania Hoffman and her Dragons players are first on court against Team Bath on Super10 Saturday (11am). There are five back-to-back matches, all televised live on Sky Sports, to launch the competition. Wasps, a […]

Celtic Dragons, the pride of Welsh netball, launch the 2019 Vitality Netball Superleague season at Arena Birmingham on Saturday.

Head coach Tania Hoffman and her Dragons players are first on court against Team Bath on Super10 Saturday (11am).

There are five back-to-back matches, all televised live on Sky Sports, to launch the competition.

Wasps, a team formed only two years ago, have won successive Superleague titles, beating Loughborough Lightning in both finals.

https://twitter.com/celtic_dragons/status/1068193323029053440

The new season marks the arrival of a new franchise with London Pulse replacing Team Northumbria in the 10-team league.

Pulse are the first central London-based club and will play their home fixtures at the Copper Box Arena.

England captain Ama Agbeze will lead London’s challenge on court, while their line-up also includes Jamaican international Shantal Slater, Malawi’s Loreen Ngwira and England’s Chiara Semple.

Dragons have signed Jamaican international Stacian Facey, who plays goalkeeper or goal-defence, while Trinidad and Tobago shooter Kalifa McCollin has returned to Wales after a season playing for Hertfordshire-based Mavericks.

New Dragons signing Dee Bolakoro is a Fijian international who serves in British Army and will add wealth of experience and energy to Dragons’ defence.

Wales international Eleanor Roberts, from Pontypool, returns for Dragons, who have also signed England under-21 player Abby Tyrrell from Manchester Thunder.

The first match for coach Hoffman’s Dragons is against Team Bath, who include seven players aged 21 or under in their 15-string squad. They are Hannah Passmore, Imogen Allison, Summer Artman, Chartie Curtis, MJ Church Ambassador Sophie Drakeford-Lewis, Abi Robson and Leila Thomas.

Commonwealth champions Eboni Usoro-Brown and Serena Guthrie are co-captains for Bath, who include Mia Ritchie and Rachel Shaw, returning duo Laura Rudland and Amanda Varey plus Australian attackers Kim Commane and Beryl Friday.

Super10 Saturday (January 5 at Arena Birmingham, all games being televised live on Sky Sports):

11am Celtic Dragons v Team Bath

1pm Wasps v Loughborough Lightning

3pm Severn Stars v London Pulse

5pm Strathclyde Sirens v Surry Storm

7pm Manchester Thunder v Saracens Mavericks

Celtic Dragons fixtures for rest of season

Home fixtures played at the Sport Wales National Centre in Birmingham:

January

Saturday 12 v London Pulse (away, 7pm)

Friday 25 v Severn Stars (home, 7.30pm)

February