Jamaican international Ward is looking forward to performing well in Easter double header matches

​​Severn Stars defender Jodi-Ann Ward says the team is really positive going into this weekend’s matches against Team Bath and Surrey Storm.

The Severn Stars have been preparing for the Vitality Netball Superleague Big Easter weekend as they take on Team Bath on Saturday 20 April (6pm centre pass) at the University of Gloucestershire Sports Arena before travelling away to the Ricoh Arena in Coventry to play Surrey Storm on Sunday 21 April (4pm centre pass).

After three wins on the bounce, including an away win against top of the table Manchester Thunder last Saturday (13 April), 24-year-old Jamaican international Jodi-Ann Ward says the squad are in a buoyant mood.

“Beating [Manchester] Thunder is a great accomplishment for the team,” she said. “We are very pleased with the performance of the entire squad. We played for each other from start to finish. We still had a few rough patches on court and we fixed them on court, which was one thing we didn’t do well in most of our previous games.

“At the moment we are really motivated and positive going forward. Bath and Storm are both strong teams but we were struggling in a few areas when we last played them. With those areas fixed we should perform well against them this time around.”

Ward, who won a Bronze medal with Jamaica at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and developed a love for the sport over a number of years when she started playing for Moneague Primary School in St. Ann, joined the Severn Stars this season. Ward said: “For me I think the team have come a long way from when we started the season. The connections have grown a lot within the team. The links from defence through court to attack have improved significantly and our circle connections both in attack and defence have improved as well.”

Talking about the playing for the Severn Stars, Jodi-Ann said: “I had to adjust to the way the team plays, which I feel I’m doing well at. I think the best thing about playing for Severn Stars is that everyone is open to changes and new ideas. And the players are [there] for each other.

“Playing in the UK took a lot of adjusting, mainly with weather. I’m not a fan of the everyday cold but I think I am adjusting well. I know what to expect daily – always walk with a jacket!”

Tickets for the Severn Stars home games can be purchased from Ticketline​.