Loughborough Lightning finish the season positively
Loughborough Lightning finished the 2010/11 season strongly, just outside of the play off places. The season was a vast improvement on last years performance and one of the highlights was beating Team Bath 52-50.
Home matches have been well attended and the support given from the fans has been fantastic. Olivia Murphy is looking for Loughborough Lightning to challenge for the play offs next year, if not the Superleague title!
The squad will be back in training from September to hopefully continue the improvement seen this season.
Lightning in the community
Ahead of Lightning’s live televised game v Glasgow Wildcats on Monday 21st March, Lightning went out and about in the community to meet fans and entice them to come down and watch. The first event the girls took part in was a shooting contest outside the Showcase cinema in Leicester City’s Highcross shopping centre.
Eight Lightning players attended the shoot off, as they approached shoppers to have a shot in one of their two nets. The girls also handed out flyers in an attempt to promote themselves, as they looked to get a big crowd in ahead of the fixture, which subsequently they won.
The second of the two events that the girls took part in was for Comic Relief. Two of the first team squad visited local Loughborough Primary School ‘Mountfield Lodge’ as they witnessed their Comic relief balloon release. Centre court players Talissa Haynes and Sophia Candappa were ‘looked after’ by the pupils who had sold the most balloons, as form of a reward.
Haynes, herself a qualified netball coach and lecturer, then spoke to the children, saying a few words about herself and Loughborough Lightning ahead of the release, in a bid to create awareness of Superleague netball, describing herself and fellow team mates as the ‘David Beckhams’ and ‘Wayne Rooneys’ of the netball world.
Coach Olivia Murphy was especially pleased about the success of both of the events. She said “Events such as these are about charity and getting out into the community and meeting our fans. We want to meet those people who come and watch us and encourage them to come in the future. The Highcross shooting challenge was about promoting the team and the game on TV, and just having fun.”
Lightning get off to a good start!
Lightning have won their first two games of the 2010/2011 season. For match reports, details of upcoming fixtures, and a whole host of other Lightning info, visit www.loughboroughlightning.co.uk
Loughborough Lightning have announced their squad for the 2010/2011 season:
Lianne Badmin Emma Bliss Sophia Candappa Nicola Caunt Jade Forbes-Whattley Natasha Hampshire Joanne Harten Tallisa Haynes Rebecca James Michaella McFarlane Afrika Morris Masego Motaung Sarah-Jane O'Sullivan Alex Sinclair
Coaching Team
Head Coach: Olivia Murphy Coach: Rosie Port Coach: Colette Thomson Team Manager: Jackie Milsom Physio: Ros Cooke