Retaining her spot as Team Scotland captain for the Commonwealth Games is an honour for netball star Claire Maxwell.
The Turriff athlete is heading to her third Games in Birmingham this summer and will once again lead from the front for Scotland.
It caps a brilliant return to the sport for Maxwell, who gave birth to daughter Lucy last year and will have her in the stands supporting.
Team Scotland are under the stewardship of coach Tamsin Greenway, who took over just before the Covid-19 pandemic hit at the start of 2020. They will face world number ones Australia in their game in Birmingham, with their other pool opponents being Jamaica, Wales, South Africa and Barbados.
The squad announcement on Wednesday kick-started the countdown to the Games and it is something Maxwell is excited to be part of.
“I honestly love the Commonwealth Games – they are my favourite memories of my career to date,” said Maxwell. “It’s a special event so it does mean a lot.
“We can’t be part of Team GB because we’re not an Olympic sport, so to be part of Team Scotland it’s almost a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“I’m so honoured to be captain. We’re under a new coach and we’ve got a new squad – I think there’s seven girls at their first Commonwealth Games this time around.
“We’re an ambitious group and I’m really glad to be given the nod to lead the squad, to hopefully achieve our goals.”
Maxwell was part of the squads which finished ninth in Glasgow in 2014 and on the Gold Coast four years ago.
Joining her in the 12-strong team will be Orkney’s Sarah MacPhail, who is a club team-mate with Strathclyde Sirens.
“We had the World Cup in 2019 in Liverpool and it was amazing, the amount of support we had,” added Maxwell.
50 days to go! 👊🏴 https://t.co/60VTycPqXg
— Claire Maxwell (Brownie) (@BrownieMaxwell) June 8, 2022
“I know a lot of the girls have got friends and family travelling down and we’ve got netball fans also making their way down to Birmingham.
“We’re really excited to have it so close to home and it will create a great buzz. Netball is so popular now in this country and I think we’re one of the fastest-selling sports in the Commonwealth Games, in terms of ticketing.
“We’ve got a lot of exciting players in our squad and this next period is all about the Commonwealth Games. Every day matters. It’s an exciting opportunity to go as a new team and play to the best of our abilities.”