Surrey Storm are delighted to confirm the signing of Leah Middleton from Queensland Firebirds for the 2020 Vitality Superleague season.
The Berkshire-born defender, whose family moved to Australia when she was a child, has been part of the Firebirds’ squad as a training partner and was named 2018 Queensland Fusion Player of the Year for her performances with the Firebirds’ feeder team in the Australian Netball League.
Equally adept at Goal Defence and Goal Keeper, Leah has represented Australia at Under 17 and Under 19 levels, havingstarted her career at Southport Carrara, before joining the Carina Leagues Club Tigers.
“Playing for Surrey Storm is so exciting, because it not only allows me to travel back to my home country but will also be a huge step in my netball career. I can’t wait to take on the challenge,” admitted Leah. “It’s been a fantastic experience, being able to train with the Firebirds this year. Netball Queensland has given me many opportunities that I am extremely grateful for and that have allowed me to constantly learn from some of the best netballers around.
“My goal now is to take those skills and really build on them, developing my game and improving myself.”
“I’m extremely excited to have someone of Leah’s calibre join us at Surrey Storm,” said Coach Mikki Austin. “Leah brings not just vast experience from the ANL, but also the experience of competing against and training with the Queensland Firebirds’ Suncorp Super Netball athletes. We’re excited to see how she will fit in to our playing group and look forward to what we can achieve together.”
On her departure, Firebirds’ Head Coach Roselee Jencke said: “Leah has worked hard and gained valuable experience in the Firebirds training environment in 2019. Her strength is her presence in the circle and being able to read the play to intercept the ball and disrupt the opposition play.”
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