Netball World Cup 2023: England Roses name squad for South Africa tournament

Pitman was portion of the England squad that won bronze successful Liverpool successful 2019

Mid-courter Chelsea Pitman says she is "overwhelmed" and "so proud" to beryllium included successful the England Roses squad for July's World Cup successful South Africa.

Eleanor Cardwell and Funmi Fadoju are among 5 tourney debutants named by caput manager Jess Thirlby.

The tourney begins connected 28 July successful Cape Town erstwhile England look Barbados successful their archetypal excavation match.

England Roses' World Cup squad

Helen Housby (GA, GS), Eleanor Cardwell (GA, GS), Olivia Tchine (GS), Natalie Metcalf (WA, GA), Chelsea Pitman (WA), Jade Clarke (C, WD), Laura Malcolm (WD, C, WA), Imogen Allison (WD, C), Funmi Fadoju (WD, GD, GK), Layla Guscoth (GD, GK), Fran Williams (GD, GK), Geva Mentor (GK, GD)

Travelling reserves: Halimat Adio (GK, GD), Sophie Drakeford-Lewis (GA, WA), Amy Carter (C, WD)

Pitman's enactment comes aft a tumultuous fewer years wherever the helping onslaught was unexpectedly fto spell by Adelaide Thunderbirds successful 2020 earlier stepping distant from netball to bid to beryllium a constabulary officer.

She returned successful 2022 arsenic a grooming spouse with West Coast Fever, aboriginal being recalled to the Roses squad that faced Uganda successful October earlier joining Super League broadside London Pulse, who she has helped to secure a Super League semi-final.

"I'm inactive pinching myself, overwhelmed with excitement and truthful proud. I was truthful affectional erstwhile I recovered retired - I cried similar an implicit baby," she told BBC Sport.

"It's incredibly surreal and it's a pugnacious travel I've had to bash to get here."

England person ne'er won the World Cup, coming 2nd erstwhile successful 1975 and winning bronze astatine the tourney six times, including 4 years agone successful Liverpool.

Seven of the 12 players from that squad are included but Thirlby's inclusion of immoderate less-capped players comes aft experienced players Eboni Usoro-Brown, Stacey Francis-Bayman and erstwhile skipper Serena Kersten retired past year.

Jo Harten besides announced her retirement from planetary netball successful April, paving the mode for shooter Olivia Tchine, 23, to marque her World Cup debut aft an awesome twelvemonth astatine London Pulse wherever she has formed connections with Pitman and Clarke.

Mid-courters Imogen Allison and Laura Malcolm volition besides marque their tourney debuts with the second having appeared astatine the Commonwealth Games successful Birmingham past year.

Helen Housby, who scored the winning extremity arsenic England bushed Australia successful the Commonwealth Games connected the Gold Coast successful 2018, volition diagnostic successful her 3rd World Cup on with helping onslaught Natalie Metcalf.

Defender Fran Williams is besides included aft a stellar play astatine Loughborough Lightning on with Surrey Storm's Layla Guscoth, who was selected successful 2019 but ruptured her Achilles successful the radical signifier and missed the remainder of the tournament.

'Our aspiration is to win'

This volition beryllium Pitman's 2nd World Cup successful the reddish formal but aft a play of uncertainty the erstwhile Australia subordinate was unsure whether she would marque it.

"We knew that we'd person an email oregon a Zoom call, my antagonistic encephalon thought if you're getting a telephone it's going to beryllium atrocious news," she said.

"I was astatine the gym and Jess [Thirlby] messaged similar 'can you leap connected this call?'

"I went to the changing country and luckily no-one was successful determination and she conscionable said 'you've booked yourself a summons to Cape Town' and I conscionable started crying I was conscionable truthful happy."

Pitman was portion of the squad that won golden astatine the 2018 Commonwealth Games connected the Gold Coast

This play Pitman has been portion of a formidable mid-court concern with Pulse and England squad mate Clarke, England's astir capped ever player, who she besides lives with.

"She [Clarke] makes maine bid harder and enactment harder due to the fact that she's been astir for truthful agelong but she's been the champion for truthful long," said Pitman.

She recalls coming location and the brace sharing the quality they had some made the squad.

"We virtually jumped astir the lounge for 5 minutes and it was similar schoolhouse girls squealing and some of america crying - it was truthful nice.

"Then I said really we're older women we shouldn't beryllium jumping astir similar we're 12!"

After a disappointing showing astatine the Commonwealth Games past year, wherever England finished fourth and without a medal, Pitman said the squad person made a "fresh start" and believes they person the imaginable to spell each the way.

"It's a caller team, different tournament. The World Cup is the pinnacle lawsuit for our athletics and I judge we tin bash it," she said.

"Our aspiration is to win. Will it beryllium easy? No. But that's what makes it exciting. Do we person the capableness to bash it? Hell yeah."

Pick your World Cup starting 7 - 1 = GS; 2 = GA; 3 = WA; 4 = C; 5 = WD; 6 = GD; 7 = GK