England Netball has revealed the names of 14 athletes, including two training partners, who will travel to face the South Africa SPAR Proteas in a three-match test series in a few weeks.
Jess Thirlby, Head Coach of the Vitality Roses, and the team will meet the South African side on court from 29 November – 1 December, which will be the first time they have played one another since the Vitality Netball World Cup in July.
The world number three team will go head-to-head with the SPAR Proteas at the Velodrome in Cape Town on 29th November, 30th November and 1st December.
It will be the first time that the two sides will meet following their battle for bronze at the Vitality Netball World Cup in July, which saw the Roses come out on top and secure a place on the podium.
Thirlby has selected a 14-strong squad for the series, which will be shown live on Sky Sports, and here’s an intro to the players set to make the trip…
14 Across. Strikes at lightning speed – Natalie Panagarry
Natalie Panagarry captained Loughborough Lightning to two consecutive Vitality Netball Superleague Grand Finals in 2017 and 2018. The speedy midcourter was part of the bronze medal-winning Vitality Netball World Cup team in 2019.
DOB: 27/12/1990
Position(s): Centre, Wing Defence
Club: Loughborough Lightning
Height: 170cm
Caps: 14
20 Across. Shines like the Blackpool Illuminations – Eleanor Cardwell
Originating from Blackpool, the 24-year old shooter was key to securing victory for Manchester Thunder in the 2019 Vitality Netball Superleague Grand Final against Wasps when she came on in the final minutes.
DOB: 11/11/1994
Position(s): Goal Shooter, Goal Attack
Club: Manchester Thunder
Height: 188cm
Caps: 20
4 Across. Juggling life’s responsibilities – Gabby Marshall
You’ll often find this Vitality Rose juggling as part of her pre-match warm-up. She made her debut at Netball Europe in 2017 and returns to the England set-up having been ruled out by injury in the 2018/19 season.
DOB: 09/04/1996
Position(s): Centre, Wing Defence
Club: Saracens Mavericks
Height: 174cm
Caps: 6
21 Across. Don’t challenge her to a dance-off – Laura Malcolm 
Laura Malcolm showed she’s got all the moves after gate-crashing the Vitality Netball Superleague mascots’ dance-off at the British Fast5 Netball All-Stars Championship in October. The midcourter also lists ‘doing the Worm’ as her party trick.
DOB: 20/05/1991
Position(s): Centre, Wing Defence, Wing Attack
Club: Manchester Thunder
Height: 175cm
Caps: 25
66 Across. Guess who’s back… – Stacey Francis 
After making her international debut in 2007, Stacey Francis has won 66 caps to date. Plying her trade for West Coast Fever in Suncorp Super Netball, the defender returns via the P3 route after trialing for the highly-anticipated international series.
DOB: 09/12/1992
Position(s): Goal Defence, Wing Defence
Club: West Coast Fever
Height: 180cm
Caps: 66
43 Across. A modern-day Lionel Logue – Natalie Haythornthwaite
Lionel Logue (1880-1953) was a speech and language therapist who successfully treated King George VI, who had a pronounced stammer. Vitality Rose Natalie Haythornthwaite studied to become a speech and language therapist at Leeds Beckett University and has done some voluntary work in that field alongside netball.
DOB: 09/12/1992
Position(s): Wing Attack, Goal Attack
Club: New South Wales Swifts
Height: 174cm
Caps: 43
6b Across. Her family’s got hattitude – George Fisher 
George Fisher’s family follow her around the country at international and Vitality Netball Superleague level, where she represents Saracens Mavericks. The goal shooter’s dad can often be picked out the crowd by his distinctive hats.
DOB: 30/09/1998
Position(s): Goal Attack, Goal Shooter
Club: Saracens Mavericks
Height: 189cm
Caps: 6
6c Across. Adding a splash of Caribbean flavour – Raz Quashie 
One thing netball fans may not know about Raz Quashie is that she comes from St. Vincent and the Grenadines. She is playing her fourth season with Saracens Mavericks and made her senior international debut in Jamaica in 2018.
DOB: 16/09/1997
Position(s): Goal Keeper, Goal Defence
Club: Saracens Mavericks
Height: 186cm
Caps: 6
1 Down. Ace, ace, baby – Sophie Drakeford-Lewis 
If she wasn’t a netballer, Sophie Drakeford-Lewis would be a tennis player. The 2019 Vitality Netball Superleague Young Player of the Year enjoyed numerous successes in the sport at an early age, including being crowned Road to Wimbledon 2013 girls’ champion.
DOB: 10/12/1998
Position(s): Goal Attack, Wing Attack
Club: Team Bath
Height: 179cm
Caps: 1
6a Down. A ray of sunshine – Summer Artman 
Summer Artman made her Vitality Roses debut against Northern Ireland at the Netball Europe Open Championships in 2017. In the team’s recent Great British Bake Off challenge, she designed her biscuit to reflect the joy and happiness that netball brings people and that she would also like to bring to the team.
DOB: 27/04/1997
Club: Represented Team Bath in 2019 but is yet to announce where she’ll be playing next season
Height: 188cm
Caps: 4
64 Down. Flipping onto court – Kadeen Corbin 
Kadeen Corbin has made acrobatic stunts her trademark, most notably after the Vitality Roses stunned home favourites Australia to win a historic gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Despite not being a part of the full-time Roses programme, she has made herself available via the P3 route.
DOB: 27/11/1991
Position(s): Goal Shooter, Goal Attack
Club: Saracens Mavericks
Height: 178cm
Caps: 64
1 Down. Flying into action – Kate Shimmin 
Kate Shimmin qualifies to play for the Vitality Roses due to dual-citizenship. The Adelaide Thunderbird represented Australia at U21 level as well as the senior side at the Fast5 International Series in 2014 and 2016.
DOB: 13/02/1992
Position(s): Goal Keeper, Goal Defence
Club: Adelaide Thunderbirds
Height: 185cm
Caps: 0
8 Down. She’s a sound investment – Fran Williams 
Fran Williams balances her netball career with studying economics at the University of Birmingham. The Wasps Netball defender enjoyed a whirlwind 12 months after making her debut against Uganda She was then selected for the Vitality Netball World Cup and was the youngest member of the squad.
DOB: 23/12/1997
Position(s): Goal Defence, Wing Defence
Club: Wasps Netball
Height: 183cm
Caps: 8
169 Down. Counting up, not slowing down – Jade Clarke 
Jade Clarke is the Vitality Roses’ most-capped player and is fast-approaching her 170th cap for her country. The experienced mid-courter has played in five Vitality Netball World Cups and four Commonwealth Games. Despite not being a part of the full-time Roses programme, she has made herself available via the P3 route.
DOB: 17/10/1983
Position(s): Wing Defence, Centre
Club: Wasps Netball
Height: 174cm
Caps: 169
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