Welsh netball swept into the new decade on a high following their impressive performance at the European Open Championships in Belfast.
New International Netball Federation rankings reveal Wales have consolidated their position in the World’s top 10 and improved by one place to number nine.
Head coach Julie Hoornweg and her Wales team defeated Northern Ireland and Scotland before battling to a dramatic draw against England.
Australian Hoornweg led the Welsh players to their European success before returning home after 18 months in charged.
Sportingwales
The new decade begins with Wales’ senior squad continuing to train in preparation for a busy year of international netball and among the major goals is to qualify for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and World Cup 2023 in Cape Town.
Welsh Netball is now working to recruit a new Wales head coach to continue Hoornweg’s work.
The new Wales head coach will design and deliver the senior national programme from 2020 to 2024 and be involved in guiding the future direction of the national performance pathway including selection protocols, training, development and competitions.
https://twitter.com/WelshNetball/status/1206911450352148481?s=20
Wales squad for 2020
| Name | Area of Court | Club |
| Chloe James | Shooting | Pontardawe |
| Beca Hughes | Shooting | Mold |
| Morganne Dunne | Shooting | Premier Romans |
| Eleanor Roberts | Shooting | Celtic Dragons |
| Georgia Rowe | Shooting | Severn Stars |
| Lydia Hitchings | Shooting | Cardiff Met; Team Bath Toucans |
| Sarie Watkins | Shooting | CTK |
| Zoe Matthewman | Shooting | Loughborough Lightning U21 |
| Beth Dyke | Midcourt | Severn Stars |
| Suzy Drane | Midcourt | Team Bath Toucans |
| Clare Jones | Midcourt | Hucclecote |
| Shona O’Dwyer | Midcourt | Celtic Dragons |
| Rebecca Baker | Midcourt | Team Bath Toucans |
| Celyn Emmanuel | Midcourt | Hertfordshire Mavericks |
| Beth Johnson | Midcourt | Cardiff Met; Team Bath U21 |
| Ellie Merriman | Midcourt | Celtic Dragons U19 |
| Ellen Morgan | Midcourt | Hucclecote; Severn Stars U21 |
| Leila Thomas | Defence | Celtic Dragons |
| Nia Jones | Defence | Severn Stars |
| Lucy Howells | Defence | Celtic Dragons |
| Ella Porter | Defence | Millfield |
| Millie Carter | Defence | Ystrad Mynach |
| Wiktoria Rejniak | Defence | Merlins |
| Fern Davies | Defence | Team Bath |
| Megan Baker Rees | Defence | Heath Angels |
| Carys Allen | Defence | Cardiff Met Uni |
| Chantelle Walker Jones | Defence | Central |
CURRENT WORLD NETBALL RANKINGS
| RANKING | TEAM | PLAYED | WEIGHTED | POINTS | ||
| 1 | Australia | 49 | 36 | 7,434 | ||
| 2 | New Zealand | 61 | 42 | 7,507 | ||
| 3 | England | 58 | 42 | 7,264 | ||
| 4 | Jamaica | 33 | 23 | 3,962 | ||
| 5 | South Africa | 52 | 41 | 6,152 | ||
| 6 | Uganda | 41 | 32 | 3,928 | ||
| 7 | Malawi | 43 | 33 | 3,991 | ||
| 8 | Scotland | 24 | 16 | 1,799 | ||
| 9 | Wales | 25 | 17 | 1,813 | ||
| 10 | Trinidad & Tobago | 22 | 21 | 2,080 | ||
| 11 | Northern Ireland | 32 | 22 | 2,165 | ||
| 12 | Barbados | 33 | 24 | 2,202 | ||
| 13 | Zimbabwe | 42 | 33 | 2,929 | ||
| 14 | Cook Islands | 19 | 14 | 1,131 | ||
| 15 | Zambia | 36 | 26 | 2,033 | ||
| 16 | Samoa | 18 | 14 | 1,011 | ||
| 17 | Fiji | 30 | 20 | 1,438 | ||
| 18 | Sri Lanka | 17 | 16 | 968 | ||
| 19 | Tonga | 9 | 6 | 336 | ||
| 20 | St Lucia | 14 | 11 | 591 | ||
| 21 | Isle of Man | 9 | 7 | 376 | ||
| 22 | Grenada | 24 | 20 | 1,061 | ||
| 23 | St Vincent & Grenadines | 19 | 17 | 845 | ||
| 24 | Botswana | 34 | 25 | 1,045 | ||
| 25 | Malaysia | 27 | 20 | 801 | ||
| 26 | Ireland | 45 | 30 | 1,141 | ||
| 27 | St Kitts & Nevis | 9 | 8 | 294 | ||
| 28 | Cayman Islands | 17 | 16 | 531 | ||
| 29 | Singapore | 56 | 41 | 1,344 | ||
| 30 | Namibia | 30 | 23 | 725 | ||
| 31 | Papua New Guinea | 21 | 15 | 461 | ||
| 32 | Canada | 22 | 18 | 522 | ||
| 33 | Gibraltar | 19 | 15 | 429 | ||
| 34 | Hong Kong | 29 | 20 | 539 | ||
| 35 | Bermuda | 8 | 4 | 80 | ||
| 36 | Antigua & Barbuda | 14 | 14 | 273 | ||
| 37 | USA | 13 | 12 | 134 | ||
| 38 | Dominica | 8 | 8 | 57 | ||
| 39 | Kenya | 12 | 12 | 28 | ||
| 40 | UAE | 9 | 7 | 9 | ||
| 41 | Chinese Taipei | 9 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 42 | Israel | 14 | 10 | 0 | ||
| 43 | Thailand | 16 | 13 | 0 | ||
| 44 | St Maarten | 21 | 17 | 0 | ||
| 45 | Argentina | 9 | 8 | 0 |