Netball: Manx squad for Europe Netball Open announced

The Isle of Man will host the event next month

Isle of Man Netball has announced the Manx Rams squad which will host the 2024 Europe Netball Open Challenge next month.

Fifteen players have been selected for the tournament which will see seven other nations compete on Island at the NSC in Douglas from 16-19 May.

Split into two divisions for the group stage - the Isle of Man will contest the first division alongside Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The second division will feature Gibraltar, Malta, France and Switzerland.

What's more, as the hosts, the Rams will be involved in the opening match of the competition against Northern Ireland on Thursday, 16 May at 9am.

The Manx Rams team for four-day event is listed below:

Becca Cooke
Alice Cross
Rhian Evans
Ashley Hall
Hannah Halsall
Aalish Harris
Mairi Harrison
Rachel Johnstone
Zoe Kirkham
Kenzie Pizzey
Lydia Shaw
Niamh Skillicorn
Paige Skillicorn
Chloe Swales
Nan Williams

Separately, four sets of honours will be up for grabs in Manx netball this weekend in the 2024 edition of the Judi Clark-Wilson Charity Cup tournament.

The annual competition sees four finals taking place between 9am and 1pm on Sunday (28 April) with money raised during the day going to a local cause.

The opening game at 9am will see Division 2 champions Castletown Vikings take on runners-up Simcocks Silver Eagles in the Shield Final.

Following that at 10am will be the Plate Final between the top two finishes in Division 1 of Simcocks Green Eagles and Manx Gems Emeralds.

Next up one hour later is the Championship Division showdown in the Vase Final with Castletown Spaniards and Misifts A face off.

The event then concludes with the Cup Final between top-flight winners Ballasalla B and this year's second-placed side in the premier league Simcocks Red Eagles.

Isle of Man Netball is asking for donations as an entry for any spectators - money generated from those will go to IoM Netball's selected charity for the event this year, The Children's Centre.