TeamBath Reach Bronze Medal play-off in Super Cup

"I'm absolutely delighted", said TeamBath Manager Alison Oliver. "It's great that we led throughout and that we showed we have learnt to win rather than just play exciting netball. Now we've got to focus on tomorrow".

TeamBath will play Birmingham Blaze, last year's runners-up, in the bronze play-off which takes place at 12 noon. Tickets are sold out for that match and the Super Cup final which will feature London Tornadoes versus London Hurricanes. The Super Cup competition features all of England's leading players.

In an action packed first quarter today, TeamBath played some exciting but at times erratic netball. They were 12-7 up at one point before Thunder, featuring Tracey Neville who is sister to the footballing Neville brothers of Manchester United and England fame, capitalised on some errors to come back to 12-14.

Two points also separated the teams at half-time with the home team up  24-22. Jess Garland, daughter of former Bristol City footballer Chris Garland, impressed throughout the first half moving well when outside the circle and shooting solidly from distance.

She produced more of the same in a crucial third-quarter run of scoring which saw TeamBath move from 28-28 to 38-30 at the break. Perhaps Garland knew it was important to see Bath into the bronze play-off but also to impress the England selectors who were watching amongst the 400-strong crowd.

"I think I've improved in every match during the competition", said Garland. "We had a lot hanging on the line today. Thunder were champions last year and it was crucial for us to win to have any chance of getting on the medal rostrum tomorrow".

Pamela Cookey, back from a year out with injury, made a tentative start and was substituted at goal-shooter by Rachel Dunn after the first quarter.

England scouts have been quietly impressed by Dunn in this competition and, whilst unlikely to make the World Championships twelve this year, she may figure in future national plans.

Natalie Seaton played a strong game at wing-defence whilst Welsh International Ursula Bowers and England¹s teenage goal-keeper, Geva Mentor, were more than strong enough against Neville and Karen Greig.

Former England U21 player Clare Elsley, making a come-back after 18 months of injury, ran tirelessly at Centre. Whilst she perhaps had a concentration lapse in the second quarter she recovered to make some crucial intercepts in the final 15 minutes.

TeamBath draws its players from across the region in a strong performance programme which has a reputation for developing young talent. Today's Super Cup matches have been preceded by a festival of netball involving teams from Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Avon and Somerset. Prizes were presented to many of the young teams by All England Netball Association Chief Executive Pauline Harrison today.

The Mayor of Bath was also an enthusiastic supporter of the home team alongside the Vice-Chair of Bath and North East Somerset Council.

TeamBath Force, coached this year by Jan Crabtree and Jean Davis, finished sixth in last year's Super Cup and fifth in the 2001 competition.

For further information please contact the Team Bath Press Office at

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