The island’s senior netball team are warming up for next month’s Euro Challenge by playing a visiting armed forces team this weekend.

Manx Rams are heading to Cardiff to take part in the Europe Netball Open Challenge event which will run from May 10-15 at the House of Sport in the Welsh capital.

The Rams will compete in the higher-ranked section of the tournament which will involve the Republic of Ireland, UAE, Malta and a friendly match against a Wales development squad.

The event will be played in two sections, with the Isle of Man playing each team in the same section once and then into play-off games.

The Rams’ first game of the tournament will be Malta at 1pm on Wednesday, May 10. Following that, they take on Wales Development later that day at 7pm, UAE on the Thursday at 3pm, Republic of Ireland on Friday at 11am with play off games on Saturday and finals on Sunday.

All matches will be available to watch live on the Europe Netball YouTube channel.

A squad of 14 players have been selected for the event which is as follows: Becca Cooke, Alice Cross, Rhian Evans, Ashley Hall (captain), Aalish Harris, Rachel Johnstone (vice-captain), Zoe Kirkham, Cassidy Pizzey, Lydia Shaw, Niamh Skillicorn, Paige Skillicorn, Natalie Swales, Kenzie Pizzey and Sara Watterson.

The Manx Rams are grateful for the support from Santander. Chris Corkill, sales director of the Isle of Man branch for the company, said: ‘Santander International is committed to supporting sporting opportunities for islanders.

‘This sponsorship opportunity cements our commitment to people’s wellbeing and we are proud to be working alongside Isle of Man Netball to help grow the sport in the island.’

Preparation for the open tournament is well underway and this coming Saturday (April 29) there is netball at the NSC with Manx Rams playing a UK Armed Forces Team (UKAF) at 1pm.

In addition, the under-21 and u17 age group teams will be playing a Northern Ireland development squad. There is no charge to watch, although Isle of Man Netball is accepting donations for its charity of the year, Hospice Isle of Man.