A year on from making it to their first-ever Netball World Cup final, England’s national team are set to bring the buzz of a home crowd to Manchester’s AO Arenalater this year.
Taking on Jamaica in November, England Netball – a.k.a. The Vitality Roses – will be helping kick off the brand-new Vitality Netball Horizon Series.
Marking the inaugural edition of the competition, the action will kick off with a pair of matches at the AO Arena before England travel to Jamaica for a further two games at the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston.
Better yet, tickets for the fast-approaching fixtures go on sale this month.
Want to experience the buzz of live netball? ⚡️
🗓️ The Vitality Roses are next in action on home soil this November against @NetballJamaica!
EN members, don’t miss out on your exclusive early access window before general sale begins on 12 August 🎟️ pic.twitter.com/cJgfZFvLWd
As part of the new four-year tournament series between England and their Caribbean counterparts, there will be two games played in each country annually, and Manchester has been chosen as the city to get things started.
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With 0161’s own netball team Manchester Thunder being the second-most decorated club in the division, with four Super League titles to their name and having only narrowly missed out on a fifth to record-breaking Loughborough Lightning, it feels like the perfect fit.
As for the Jamaicans, commonly known as the ‘Sunshine Girls’ and currently ranked fourth in the world with a huge netball culture, they finished as bronze medallists in last year’s World Cup and will be looking to assert some pressure on the Roses over the course of this multi-year series.
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The first of two international meetings between England and Jamaica takes place on Saturday, 16 November, the second game taking place on the following Sunday.
The following double-header in Jamaica is scheduled for between 25-26 November, to reignite a long-standing rivalry in an exciting new format. You can watch what happened the last time the two sides met down below:
Speaking in an official announcement, Vitality Roses Head Coach Jess Thirlby said: “We’re excited to introduce this new and innovative Vitality Netball Horizon Series against the Sunshine Girls into our international competition calendar.
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“Both nations have enjoyed success at recent major tournaments with Jamaica taking silver at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022 and the Vitality Roses securing silver at the Netball World Cup in South Africa after making our first-ever World Cup final last summer.
The long and competitive history between us both, combined with a shared desire to shake up the world order makes for a tantalising match-up that fans can enjoy every year…
“We have enjoyed series wins at home against Jamaica in recent years which were over ten years in the making and always enjoy playing in these head-to-heads that deliver flamboyant, exciting netball and a showcase of high skill level from both sides. Here’s to more edge-of-your-seat netball as we embark on a new groundbreaking competition programme.”
Pre-sale access for the tournament is already live for England Netball members, who will receive an exclusive 10% discount, but general sale begins on Monday, 12 August from 10am.
You can be ready to buy your tickers for England Netball vs Jamaica at the AO Arena in Manchester HERE.
Featured Images — paddynapper (via Flickr)/AO Arena/England Netball (supplied)
Sport
Tommy Fury announces return to boxing after his ‘hardest battle’ yet
Danny Jones
Manc boxer Tommy Fury has announced his return to the ring later this year, although he’s still keeping tight-lipped about some of the finer detailsabout his next fight.
Tommy Fury has been stuck on the sidelines for the best part of the last two years following his last boxing match against influencer and musician KSI, having reluctantly stepped away from boxing through injury and well-publicised personal issues outside of the sport.
He ultimately pulled out of his intended comeback against Darren Till ahead of what looked to be an already fraught face-off, and his been quiet on the competitive front ever since – until now.
Revealing a scheduled date for the next fight, the 25-year-old took to social media to confirm that he will be back very soon but is withholding some of the particulars for now.
Writing in the caption, the younger Fury brother said: “Two years out. One surgery. The hardest battle I’ve faced has been the mental battle of being away from boxing. But I’m back stronger, sharper, and more HUNGARY than ever.”
However, the most notable omission is who he will actually be taking on, i.e. one of the main reasons fight fans would be interested in the first place.
Although many have been left frustrated by the infrequency of his fights due to multiple cancellations, it’s clearly a concerted effort to build anticipation ahead of the event.
Sharing the date for his Budapest bout – which is coming much sooner than many would have expected (Friday, 9 May) – he signed off by adding: “It’s showtime. Let’s go!”
Besides the social media post, the local fighter published a lengthy announcement video/teaser trailer on the official Tommy Fury YouTube channel on Monday night, in which he states, “the contract has literally just been signed as we speak”.
You can watch the feature in full down below:
In truth, the majority of the video is about brand deals, but it does show getting some training done.
Hyping up his undefeated record, with 10 wins to his name thus far in his still fairly fledgling boxing career, he goes on to say he is “over the moon” and ready to get back in business.
Only time will tell whether this fight will actually go ahead as his followers have gotten more than used to seeing his matches postponed or cancelled. First and foremost, who do you think his comeback opponent is gong to be?
His name has mostly been in the headlines due to his high-profile relationship with fellow famous face Molly Mae-Hague.
The couple, who first met on Love Island back in 2019, welcomed their first child, Bambi, back in January 2023 but went on to split up last August. A docuseries covering their struggles dropped at the start of this year.
Featured Images — Screenshot (via YouTube)/Ghazi Twaissi (via WikiCommons)/The Manc Group
Sport
Belle Vue manager warns of former Aces ahead of Premiership clash
Danny Jones
Belle Vue Aces boss and Aussie speedway legend Mark Lemon has warned his side of Oxford Spires’ quality ahead of their face-off in the Premiership, especially as they prepare to come against some ex-ATPI employees.
With a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership round coming up on Monday night (14 April) and the Aces second in the table with five early points total on the board already, the CEO, Director and Team Manager isn’t underestimating the southern opponents.
Even though Oxford have had a tough start to the season, the Manchester racers can’t afford to be complacent, and Lemon has already identified some key threats on the track, including two former Aces.
It’ll be a thrilling night at the National Speedway Stadium (NSS), as always.
𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼…
♣️ ATPI Aces v Oxford Spires ⛪️ 🗓️ Monday, April 14, 7.30pm. 🏆 Premiership R1. 🏟️ National Speedway Stadium. 🎟️ Get ticket now: https://t.co/DREWNjxB09 🍴 Hospitality: https://t.co/RFS3gcPD99
Speaking on Sunday ahead of the races, the 52-year-old said: “I know it’s a cliche, but there really aren’t any easy meetings in the Premiership.
“We know what Oxford’s riders are capable of; Rohan [Tungate] and Charles [Wright] can be very good at the National Speedway Stadium, and that makes them dangerous.
“When you add in the likes of [Maciej] Janowski, Erik Riss and guest Dan Thompson, [Oxford Spires] are a strong side.”
33-year-old ‘Magic’ Janoswki from Poland is not only a former world number three but has four FIM Speedway World Cup gold medals to his name.
Nevertheless, the Aces have bounced back after a disappointing 50-40 defeat in the KO Cup by Ipswich Witches to record a double over King’s Lynn Stars, with a narrow loss against Leicester still showing plenty of fight and promise for the rest of the campaign.
Belle Vue Aces’ Jaimon Lidsey pushing hard against King’s Lynn – here’s hoping for more of that against Oxford. (Credit: Taylor Lanning)
Lemon went on to assure that he remains confident, however, adding: “We’re settling back into a routine. It was good that all the boys are getting confidence-building scores.
“Zach Cook, Norick Blodorn and Jake Mulford have all started winning key races and scoring well. Tate Zischke is also solving some bike issues.
“As I’ve said before, at this time of the season, it’s about building momentum. That’s the target.”
The Aces get underway against the Spires at the NSS just down the road in Gorton from 7:30pm – best of luck to all those at Belle Vue.
Danny Jones -
7th August 2024 
