Lightning snap up SA star
LOUGHBOROUGH Lightning have revealed their first new signing ahead of the 2022 Vitality Netball Superleague (VNSL), with South African Zanele Vimbela joining the ranks.
The 32-year-old defender is no stranger to elite level netball, having featured in South Africa’s national side in the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games, and, more recently, the 2019 Netball World Cup in Liverpool.
Johannesburg-born Vimbela, who stands 6ft, missed out on the 2021 VNSL season, where she was due to represent Strathclyde Sirens, after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury at a tournament in South Africa. Now fit and raring to go, she is keen to get back on court.
“I feel very honoured to join a team like Lightning for the 2022 season. Couldn’t be happier to be with a high-quality franchise,” she said.
“I’m mostly excited to be getting back on court and defending the championship. After being out for almost a year from injury I hope to be a great fit for the team.
Vimbela is keen to support Lightning in their title defence campaign.
She said: “What I’m hoping to achieve in 2022 is to continue growing in the game of netball and of course retain the VNSL title with Lightning.”
With Australian defender Sam May announcing her retirement at the end of the 2021 season, head coach Sara Francis-Bayman was keen to look for a replacement who continued to provide experience for her younger players.
She said: “Zan is hugely experienced both domestically and internationally. She will provide dynamism to our defence end while giving the younger players confidence and calmness.”
South Africa regularly produce high-quality players and sit fifth in the world rankings, with several squad members competing in the world’s toughest leagues such as Australia’s Suncorp Super Netball and the VNSL.