Abi Robson and Amanda Varey confirmed as part of Team Bath’s squad for 2019 season

Rising star Abi Robson and experienced international Amanda Varey are the latest two players to be confirmed in the Team Bath Netball squad for the 2019 Vitality Superleague season.

Nineteen-year-old Robson, a Geography student at the University of the West of England in Bristol, made her Superleague debut last season and plays at both wing-defence and centre.

She has international age-group experience with England, having helped both the U17 and U21 teams to victory in Netball Europe competitions, while also touring New Zealand with the Roses at U19 level.

“I’m really excited to be back in the Superleague squad for 2019,” said Robson.

“I learnt so much during my first season and I’m looking forward to gaining more opportunities in the year ahead. It is a great squad to be part of, everyone gets on so well, and it is an incredible training environment.”

Varey – who played for Wales at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games – is returning for her fourth spell with Team Bath, having previously won the Superleague title in Blue & Gold in 2010 and 2013.

The wing-attack spent last season with Celtic Dragons but continued to do some of her training at the University of Bath and is thrilled to be back in the colours she first represented 12 years ago, while combining netball with studying Pharmacy.

“I feel incredibly honoured to have the opportunity to be back in the Blue & Gold dress this season,” said Varey, who is now Lead Critical Care Pharmacist at the Royal United Hospital (RUH) in Bath.

“The University of Bath and the Team Bath franchise have played such an integral role in my netball career to date.

“I look forward to helping ensure the values and standards that have been ingrained in me when I first started here in 2006 are not only maintained but elevated to even higher levels this season, in the pursuit of bringing home that sixth title and helping more team-mates achieve their international ambitions.”

Jess Thirlby, head netball coach for Team Bath, said: “Abi is one of our bright young talents and has been improving year on year for the last few seasons. She has a great attitude to learning, a great work ethic and she leads by example.

“Abi is a determined defender who applies herself to any challenge thrown at her. She is a great role model for all those athletes in our Academy and beyond, and has a bright future with this team.

“We are so pleased to welcome Amanda back after spending time with Celtic Dragons to support her national squad aspirations with Wales, which we are very proud of. She is one of the longest serving and most loyal Team Bath players of all time.

“Her commitment, energy and dedication to being the best she can be for the team is second to none and she will add strength to our attacking unit. It will be exciting to see Amanda link with our new recruits in attack as she has great vision and remains a real student of the game,” Thirlby added.

Sky Sports will also show every game live of the 2019 Vitality Netball World Cup, July 12-21

A huge 2019 will feature another thrilling Vitality Superleague which is just a month away and starts with the Super 10 on Saturday, January 5, live on Sky Sports

You can now receive all the latest Vitality Superleague news and more on your personal devices. The Sky Sports mobile app will keep you up to date with the latest news from your favourite sports, including netball – here’s how to receive the alerts you want.

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