NETBALL: EK STARS REACH WORLD CUP
Local players help Thistles reach 2019 World Cup
Newlandsmuir netballer Lynsey Gallagher has revealed a strong East Kilbride spine in the Scotland team has helped them qualify for next year’s World Cup.
The Thistles booked their place at the showpiece event in Liverpool after finishing top of the European qualifying group last month.
They qualified after a 52-40 triumph over fellow Home Nation Wales before also beating Northern Ireland 52-31 during a double-header in Perth.
But at the heart of the squad is a host of East Kilbride players.
Even national assistant coach, Jill Anderson, hails from the town and teaches at Calderglen High School.
Lynsey was joined in the squad by Westwood’s Sam Murphy, Calderwood’s Nicola McCleery, Strathaven’s Niamh McCall and EK Netball Club mates Bethan Goodwin and Emily Nicholl.
After they all chipped in to help Scotland qualify, Lynsey told the News: “It’s a great feeling playing for Scotland alongside some of the girls I have grown up playing netball at club level with.
“I’ve come all the way through the national setup with Sam Murphy having played with Sam since I started at EKNC when I was 12 years old, so it’s pretty special getting to share such amazing netball experiences with someone you started playing with many years ago.
“Now I play club and national not only with Sam, but Nicola, Bethan, Emily and Niamh, too.
“It’s great because in a way we get extra time to train and play together which helps a lot in terms of knowing how each other tick.
“I guess in a way it makes playing at national level that little bit easier.
“Of course, it also helps that Jill is one of our club coaches.
“We know Jill and Jill knows us - what we’re good at and where we can improve our game – so it’s great that we continue to get quality coaching input even when we’re away from the national team during the season.”
The 25-year-old added: “It’s fantastic to qualify for the World Cup.
“We’ve been working so hard both on court and in the gym since the start of the season, so our recent results really are testament to all time and effort we put in during the lead up to the qualifiers.”
Scotland’s success in the qualifiers defied the world rankings with the Welsh ranked two places above them in ninth, while Northern Ireland went in as favourites ranked eighth.
“It was always going to be a really competitive weekend with only two teams able to qualify and we were the underdogs going into the competition,” said Lynsey.
“However, there was no doubt in our minds that we could get the job done if we played quality netball over the full 60 minutes.
“Whenever the three Home Nations play it’s always pretty close, but with two really strong performances we managed to secure two impressive wins.
“A win’s a win, but the final scores are a reflection of the work that’s been done over the past few months.”
Before the World Cup, there is the small matter of the Commonwealth Games in Australia to occupy the minds of the Scotland players.
The Thistles finished 9th on home soil in Glasgow four years ago and face another tough test in Gold Coast with 2014 silver medallists New Zealand, world number three side England, Wales, Malawi and Uganda in their pool.
The squad is set to be announced later this month and Lynsey said: “”We’ve ticked one job off the list so far, but now it’s about focusing on the Commonwealth Games, knuckling down and working hard in hope of selection for Gold Coast.
“I think 2014 really put Scotland on the map in terms of our sport, and since then we have just gone from strength to strength.
“We have such high expectations of ourselves as a squad and I think that’s been a big factor in our recent performances and results.
“We always want more and we’re always identifying things that could be done better next time .
“We are continually pushing ourselves, whether it’s on court or in the gym and everyone knows what needs to be done to achieve the goals we set as a squad.
“It’s a great environment to be part of and an extremely exciting time to be a Scottish Thistle.”
We have such high expectations of ourselves as a squad and I think that’s been a big factor in our recent results