Rising star Ella aiming to net an England call

Ella Maltby, who is in year 12 at Ellesmere College, is part of the England Roses Long Squad and completed her first camp training session this month.

In April, she will have another trial to find out if she is selected for the England Roses Academy.

Ella, who has been playing netball since she was eight-years-old, also plays for Manchester Thunder under-21s Superleague netball squad.

She said: “I really enjoy netball because I love the competitiveness and the feeling of being part of a team. It motivates me more as well as a huge feeling of accomplishment.

“It means a lot to me to make the England Roses Long Squad because it’s been a dream since I first started playing netball and hopefully this opportunity can open some new doors and possibly allow me to progress through the England Roses Academy.”

Ella’s original trials with England Netball, to play for the Vitality Roses, were due to take place in December but were cancelled because of the Coronavirus pandemic. But it hasn’t stopped her from progressing as Ella’s aspirations are to play at the highest level she can and she has continued training at home throughout the winter.

She has also had one to one training sessions via Zoom and ensured she kept her fitness levels up.

Master in Charge of Netball at Ellesmere College, Tina Cox, said: “Ella has motivated herself by always training at her maximum level.

“She is very focused and self motivated and I would say she always gives 100 per cent both in training and on court.

“Ella likes to be the best she can be and I am very proud of her for being named in the Long Squad.”