With an impressive 121 Scotland caps to her name, netball star Claire Maxwell is only one appearance away from making history.
The 34-year-old from Turriff will become Scotland’s most-capped player when she takes to the court at the upcoming World Cup, which takes place in Cape Town, South Africa between July 28 and August 6.
Her first cap was in 2009 and Maxwell has gone on to play at three Commonwealth Games, two World Cups and was named Scottish Thistles captain in 2019.
Maxwell couldn’t have imagined she’d make history when she first played for Scotland 14 years ago, but says the chance to do so with her parents, husband and two-year old daughter watching on in Cape Town will be a proud moment.
“It’s not something I dreamt over or even targeted,” said Maxwell. “I was actually a bit surprised, I didn’t realise that it was a milestone I was going to hit.
“It’s a real honour. I’m just really grateful for every cap that I’ve achieved.
“I’m really excited to lead this group – it’s been a real journey since my first cap.
“When I got my first cap, we were sitting about 16th in the world, didn’t qualify for the Commonwealth Games and missed out on the first World Cup I had tried to qualify for with Scotland.
“As a nation now, almost three World Cups, three Commonwealth Games and over 100 caps later, it’s really exciting. The journey has been incredible to this point.
“I hope we go and perform at the World Cup – I’ll celebrate my milestone, but at the same time, it’s about what we go and do as a team.”
Scotland will offer something different at World Cup, says Maxwell
Maxwell’s experience will prove vital in South Africa as she will be leading a team where less than half of the 12-player squad – including Aberdeen’s Emma Love – have featured at a World Cup before.
The Thistles begin their campaign against Malawi, before a tough test against England’s Vitality Roses, who are currently ranked third in the world – six places higher than Scotland.
A final Pool B clash against Barbados awaits, while the results in those three group games will determine Scotland’s fixtures for the rest of the tournament.
Maxwell believes Scotland have a team who are capable of securing an improved return from an 11th-place finish in 2009 by breaking into the top-eight.
Can’t wait for the World Cup 2023 with these superstars 🤩. Always such an honour to be picked! Let the hard work continue… pic.twitter.com/3sbTiiqWbM
— Claire Maxwell (Brownie) (@BrownieMaxwell) June 5, 2023
“It’s a completely different team,” said Maxwell. “We’ve got seven people who will be experiencing their first World Cup, but the potential within the group is so exciting.
“Some of us can draw on our experience from previous competitions, but having that youth can bring in a fearless aspect. They can go out there without any preconceived ideas of what’s going to happen.
“We’re going to bring something different. Our game plan is really evolving and what we will bring on court is going to be really exciting.
“It’ll be a different style that people may or may not have seen from Scotland before.
“I literally cannot wait to get out on court. I think this group can achieve good things, both in this World Cup and moving forward in the future.”
South African crowd will bring elevated atmosphere
Maxwell may boast over 100 caps, but at this World Cup she is looking forward to experiencing a first: playing at a major championships in Africa.
The 16th edition is the first to be held on the continent and Maxwell believes the Cape Town crowd will bring an extra edge to the tournament.
“We went over to South Africa in November (for a test series) and it was absolutely brilliant,” said Maxwell. “We absolutely loved our time there.
“There has never been a World Cup in Africa before, but the African crowd just bring this exuberance, creativity and flair. There could be 10 people in the stands, but it would feel like 10,000.
“There will be so much noise and that’s going to be something different for a lot of us within the team, and it’ll be the same for the countries.
“The atmosphere is going to be brilliant, so we’re all really excited to head out to South Africa.”
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