England’s netball team, the Vitality Roses, put in a strong performance on their way to the Netball World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa, next June. They beat the Uganda She Cranes in a three-match series 3-0, and five new players made their England debut. The team are now preparing for a three-match test series against Australia later this year.
England Head coach Jess Thirlby said: It’s given us everything that we hoped for – a fantastic challenge against a brilliant side. We knew that they’re incredibly talented and so every game has thrown up different challenges. There’s not one game where we were ever comfortable, but I could not be prouder of what this group have achieved.”
She added: “But they had to work really hard for it and asserted themselves so well at the start of the game again with what was a very different line-up rewarding some of those younger players who are putting in now back-to-back performances. Zara, Liv and Funmi getting their start [in the third game] was really special.”
Also on the squad against Uganda was 24-year old Tash Pavelin, who is a member of Team Bath. Tash has been named in the Under-17 England squad since 2015, and finally made her international debut this year. She has certainly not rested on her laurels in the meantime, as she is preparing to sit her final ACA exam to become a fully qualified accountant.
Tash told the Halesowen News that balancing the two very diverse careers has been a challenge. However, she said that the communication and teamwork skills needed for both professions have stood her in good stead.
She said: “It’s a lot! But work are really supportive in being able to give me the opportunity to go and do the netball stuff alongside the work. It requires a lot of organisation. Communication and teamwork, they overlap between the two, just working in a team, I do that a lot at work and obviously, it’s a massive thing in terms of working in team sports.”
The star player also credits her Team Bath team mate, Layla Guscoth, for acting as a mentor and source of inspiration to help her step up her game to the next level. Guscoth is an experience England international, having made her debut in 2012.
Layla is another excellent role model for those who are wondering if they can balance sport and another career. As well as playing netball to the highest levels, Layla studied medicine at St John’s College, Oxford, and University College, London, and qualified with distinction as a doctor in 2016.
She was part of the bronze-medal winning team at the Netball World Cup in Liverpool, 2019, and has played for Adelaide Thunderbirds and Surrey Storm as well as the Vitality Roses.
This is certainly proof that skills learned in team sports such as netball can be extremely valuable in future life and career choices.
If you would like some information about Kingston netball lessons, please get in touch today.