Clark back for Lightning and Riders

DUEL-INTERNATIONAL athlete Ella Clark is making her return to Lightning, where she will compete for Leicester Riders Women’s Basketball during their new campaign.

No stranger to the duel athlete role, Clark boasts international caps for both Netball and Basketball and looks to combine the two in 2021.

She said: “I wanted to come back to Lightning this year because I really want to win. I feel like we’ve come close so many times and I just really want to get over that line with this team. It’s a great bunch of girls and I think we can do it this year.

“I think we found the start of the 2020 season difficult, a couple of key players took injuries very early on which affected our rhythm, but we were starting to display some really strong performances, so now it’s about building on that.”

Having featured in Lightning’s 2017 and 2018 side that saw them pipped at the post in the Grand Final in consecutive years, Clark’s experience in high pressure situations and taking a leadership role within the squad will play a key part in the upcoming campaign.

“I’m really excited for the new season, we’ve got great continuity with the side this year and I really want to build on last year’s connections and I just want to win. We’ve come so close so many times and I think we can do it this year.”

Head Coach Sara Bayman said Clark’s experience was a vital addition to the side’s ambitions.

“Ella provides us with creativity in attack and a huge amount of experience.”