Wales’ Senior and U21 Netball Squad Announced for South Africa Tour

Wales
have named their senior and Under 21 squads to face South Africa’s senior and
U21 teams on tour in June.  

 Led
by senior captain Suzy Drane and U21 captain Megan Powell, both teams will
travel to Durban, South Africa on June 12^th for a six-match
(three-Test) series from June 17^th to June 19^th.

 Both
teams offer a high calibre of athleticism and a mixture of new players as well
as experienced players.   This
collaboration will be instrumental to the squad when facing the 5^th
highest ranked netball team in the world, according to Head Coach Trish Wilcox.

 “This
is an opportunity for us to measure ourselves against one of the top 5 teams in
the world ”, said Wilcox, whose leadership over the past year and a half has
led the senior team to finish at their highest 7th placing at last year’s
Netball World Cup for 24 years.

 “What
a fantastic chance for both teams to compete on the international stage and
experience world class competition on an overseas tour,” Wilcox added.

 This
is Wales’ first visit to South Africa, but the senior squads have met 11 times
before, whilst the U21 have played against each other five times.  Though neither Wales squads have ever beaten
South Africa at netball, Head Coach Wilcox is confident that this is an
opportunity to show how we are closing the gap between us and the top 6 teams
in the world.  They will be building on
the momentum post the Netball World Cup and the recent success at Netball
Europe.

 “Both
senior and U21 teams have had a very successful twelve months,” said Welsh
Netball CEO, Sarah Jones.  “The talent
within the teams is exciting and we hope to build on momentum from these
successes.”

 Wales’
senior team won silver at the 2016 Netball Europe Open Championships earlier
this year.  

 “We
only had one training session together as a whole squad due to several players
still being involved in the VNSL play-offs,” said Head Coach, Wilcox.  “So over the next few weeks we have a chance
to work on consolidating combinations and working on specific areas of our game.”

The U21 Wales team will take advantage of the opportunity to
prepare for their upcoming Netball Europe tournament in October 2016. This year
U21 Netball Europe is also a qualifying tournament for the U21 World Youth Cup
in Botswana.

 “It is a real privilege to be taking an U21
squad to South Africa for this three match test series,” said Louisa Daniells,
U21 Head Coach.  

 “The players have been training exceptionally hard as they realise
this is a great opportunity to travel with the Senior squad and learn from them
how to deal with the pressures of a tour in preparations towards U21 Netball
Europe and qualification for the World Youth Netball Cup which is in Botswana.

 “We look forward to competitive match play and will endeavour to
show what this talented group is capable of.”

 Follow the Wales teams’ preparations and progress in South
Africa on Twitter (@welshnetball), Instagram (@welshnetball) and Facebook.  

 Senior squad: Suzanne Drane (captain), Bethan Dyke, Kyra
Jones, Chelsea Lewis, Sarah Llewelyn, Kelly Morgan, Stephanie Perry,
Georgia Rowe, Amanda Varey, Clare Jones, Lateisha Kidner ,Sara Bell, Fern
Davies.

U21 squad:  Megan
Powell (captain), Carys Allen, Lowri Jenkins, Anna Brindley, Emily Edwards,
Celyn Emanuel, Lydia Hitchings, Chloe James, Emma Roberts, Lowri Norkett,
Leanne Thomas.

__________________________________________

Mae
Cymru wedi cyhoeddi’u carfan hŷn a Dan 21 i wynebu tîm hŷn a Dan 21 De Affrica
ar daith ym mis Mehefin.

 Dan
arweiniad capten y tîm hŷn, Suzy Drane, a chapten y tîm Dan 21, Megan Powell,
bydd y ddwy garfan yn teithio i Durban yn Ne Affrica ar Fehefin 12 ar gyfer cyfres
o chwe gêm (tri phrawf) yn cychwyn Fehefin 17 hyd at Fehefin 19.

 Yn ol Prif Hyfforddwr cymru, Trish Wilcox, mae safon y
tîmoedd  yn uchel tu hwnt , a’r lefel o
ffitrwydd yn anhygoel.  Mae aelodau’r tîm
yn
gymysgedd o chwaraewyr newydd a phrofiadol, a bydd y cyfuniad yma felly yn
allweddol i Gymru wrth iddynt wynebu’r pumed tîm pêl-rhwyd orau yn y Byd.

  “Mae
hwn yn gyfle i ni fesur ein hunain yn erbyn un o’r pump tîmoedd gorau y byd ac
i ddangos sut ‘rydym yn cau’r bwlch,” meddai Wilcox, sydd wedi arwain y garfan
i lwyddiant ysgubol dros y flwyddyn a hanner dwethaf, gan sicrhau fod Cymru yn
gorffen mewn 7fed safle yng Nghwpan y Byd llynedd.

 “Mae’n
gyfle arbennig iawn i’r ddau dîm i chwarae ar lwyfan rhyngwladol ac i brofi
cystadleuaeth o safon uwch ar daith tramor,” ychwanegodd Wilcox.

 Dyma’r tro cyntaf i Gymru ymweld â De Affrica, ond mae’r tîmau hŷn
eisoes wedi chwarae yn erbyn eu gilydd 11 o weithiau, a’r tîm o dan 21 wedi
chwarae yn erbyn tîm o dan 21 De Affrica 5 gwaith o’r blaen, hefyd.

 Er
nad yw’r naill dîm wed llwyddo i guro De Affrica o’r blaen, mae Wilcox yn
hyderu mai hyn yw’r cyfle perffaith i ddangos sut ‘rydym yn cau’r bwlch ryngom
ni a’r chwech tîm uchaf yn y byd.  Fe
fydd yr athletwyr yn adeiladu ar y momentwm wedi Cwpan y Byd 2015, a’r
llwyddiant diweddar yng nghystadleuaeth Pêl-rhwyd Ewrop.

 “Mae’r
tîm hŷn a Dan 21 wedi cael deuddeg mis llwyddiannus iawn,” meddai Sarah Jones,
Prif Weithredwr Pêl-rhwyd Cymru.  “Mae’r
talent sydd o fewn y tîmau yn gyffrous a gobeitho y gallwn ni adeiladu ar y
momentwm o’r llwyddiannau hynny.”

 Ennillodd
carfan hŷn Cymru y fedal arian yng nghystadleuaeth Pêl-rhwyd Ewrop yn gynt
eleni.

 “Cawsom
un sesiwn hyfforddi fel carfan llawn cyn Pêl-rhwyd Ewrop oherwydd fod rhai o’r
chwaraewyr yn dal i fod ynghlwm â chyngrair y VSNL (Vitality Super Netball
League).  Felly cawn gyfle i weithio  gyda’n gilydd ar amryw o sgiliau dros yr
wythnos nesaf i wella’n gêm.”

Bydd
y garfan Dan 21 yn manteisio ar y cyfle i baratoi ar gyfer twrnament  Dan 21 Pêl-rhwyd Ewrop yn Hydref 2016.  Mae twrnament eleni yn holl bwysig oherwydd am
ei bod hi’n gyfle i ennill ein lle yng Nghwpan Ieuenctid y Byd ym Motswana,
2017.

 “Mae’n
fraint cael mynd â’r garfan dan 21 i chwarae yn Ne Affrica,” meddai Loisa
Daniells, Prif Hyfforddwr y tîm o Dan 21.

 “Mae’r
chwaraewyr wedi bod yn ymarfer yn galed wredi iddyn nhw sylweddoli fod hon yn
gyfle mor arbennig i deithio gyda’r carfan hŷn, ac i ddysgu wrthyn nhw am sut i
ymdopi â phwysau taith rhyngwladol, tra’n paratoi am dwrnamaint Pêl-rhwyd Ewrop
er mwyn ennill lle yng Nhwpan Ieuenctid y Byd.

 “Edrychwn
ymlaen i chwarae gêm cystadleuol, a pharhawn ein hymdrechion i ddangos yr hyn
mae ein hathletwyr ifanc yn medru cyflawni.”

Dilynwch
paratoadau a datblygiadau tîm Cymru yn Ne Affrica ar Twitter (@welshnetball),
Instagram (@welshnetball) ac ar Facebook.

 Carfan
Cymru: Suzanne Drane (capten), Bethan Dyke, Kyra
Jones, Chelsea Lewis, Sarah Llewelyn, Kelly Morgan, Stephanie Perry,
Georgia Rowe, Amanda Varey, Clare Jones, Lateisha Kidner ,Sara Bell, Fern
Davies.

 Carfan
Dan 21 Cymru: Megan Powell (capten), Carys
Allen, Lowri Jenkins, Anna Brindley, Emily Edwards, Celyn Emanuel, Lydia
Hitchings, Chloe James, Emma Roberts, Lowri Norkett, Leanne Thomas.