More signings for Lightning
CLARK, PARIZE AND GABRIEL RETURN FOR 2021 CAMPAIGN
LOUGHBOROUGH Lightning have revealed three more members of their squad for the 2021 Vitality Netball Superleague (VNSL) season, writes Jessica Northfield.
International athlete Ella Clark will return for her fifth season with the side, and will also compete for Leicester Riders Women’s Basketball during their new campaign.
“I wanted to come back to Lightning this year because I really want to win,” said Clark.
“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 really think we can do it this year,” she said.
“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 by the third game we were starting to display some really strong performances, so now it’s about building on that.”
Clark has competed on the international stage for both GB Basketball and the England Roses.
Speaking about her ability to juggle two sports, Clark said: “I didn’t really get into the thick of it last season as both got cut short just as the sports began to collide, so it will be interesting to see how that works this year.
“I’m really enjoying playing both sports again though and seeing how they complement each other.
“There’s so much that I can take from my training sessions into both sports and I’m grateful for the opportunity and support from both Lightning and Riders that enables me to do both.”
Meanwhile, young shooter Beth Gabriel is returning to Lightning for a second season.
The 19-year-old goal attack moved to the East Midlands side from Severn Stars in 2020 to study Sports Science at Loughborough University.
Having progressed through the pathway at Severn Stars, Gabriel’s impressive displays earned her a spot on the England U19 tour to Australia and New Zealand in 2019.
She said: “I’m so excited to be back at Lightning for my second season. I’m looking forward to gaining more experience and building with the team from where we left off. I can’t wait to get started!”
Gabriel’s highlight of the 2020 season was being named Player of the Match in Lightning’s first home game of the season, after a formidable performance against Strathclyde Sirens.
“That was a really special moment, it was the first home game, my first home match for Lightning and all my family were there. It was just really enjoyable,” she said.
Another goal attack, 22-year-old Lucy Parize, is also returning for a third season with Lightning.
Parize will continue to balance her career as an accountant alongside the demands of a heavy training and playing schedule.
She was a key player in Lightning’s success at the 2019 British Fast5 competition where the side were crowned champions for the second time.
Parize said: “We had a really good start last season, we had trained really hard and had the opportunity to play against South Africa in a behind closed doors game. We then went on to win Fast5 which was incredible. It then felt like an anticlimax having the season cut short, so I think we all felt very frustrated.”