Lightning
Three sign deals for new season
LOUGHBOROUGH Lightning have announced Peace Proscovia, Rosie Harris and Vicki Oyesola will return to the side for the 2018 season.
The impressive trio are all currently balancing their studies and training programmes with great success, featuring in the BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) team that took Gold at the end of 2016/17 season before going to on be crowned British Fast5 All-Stars champions in September of this year.
Peace Proscovia will begin the second year of her two year deal, and fourth season with the side, after a stellar campaign in 2017 which saw her scoop three accolades for her performance.
Captaining the Ugandan national side, Proscovia has dominated the netball world this year, and will lead her side in next year’s Commonwealth Games after they qualified for the first time in the country’s history.
Proscovia ruled the Superleague shooting circle in 2017 and helped fire Loughborough Lightning to the top of the table after netting a whopping 812 goals. She was subsequently awarded VNSL Players’ Player of the Season and the Vitality Player of the Season as well as being included in the VNSL All Star VII for her efforts.
She said: “I am delighted to be part of Loughborough Lightning for the 2018 season having had the best experience of my career so far with Lightning in the previous seasons. I can’t wait to start the league with the rest of the squad.”
Also joining the line-up for 2018 is young defender Vicki Oyesola. In her debut season with the side, Oyesola became a force to be reckoned with in the Superleague, collecting the VNSL Young Player of the Season Award.
Oyesola also caught the eye of England Head Coach Tracey Neville, which led to her first senior cap for the Roses in July this year. The Loughborough University student played a key role in the Roses perfect weekend, winning all four of their games in Cardiff to retain the Netball Europe Open title.
Oyesola is looking forward to the upcoming season: “I’m really exciting about my second season with Lightning. I’m looking forward to building on our success from last season with the partnerships and team bond that we created and also with the new signings coming in.”
Loughborough Lightning also welcome Rosie Harris to the squad as she signs her first Superleague contract for 2018, keen to make her mark this season.
“After training alongside Loughborough Lightning last year, I am extremely excited to be a squad member this year and contribute to Lightning’s success in the 2018 season.”
The trio will join England Roses stars Beth Cobden, Natalie Panagarry, Hannah Joseph and Ella Clark who have all committed to the Loughborough University franchise for 2018, alongside Jamaican defender Shamera Sterling who joins the side for the first time. Lightning will be hoping to build on a brilliant 2017 where they were Grand Finalists and Fast5 champions.
Tickets to Lightning’s pre-season fixtures are now on sale with their opening match against Team Northumbria on Saturday, December 10.