Barbados gola attack Nikita Piggott has been awarded a contract to play professional netball in England for the 2013 Super League, the highest level of competition in the country.
Piggott, 25, will play for the Loughborough Lightning, which finished last of the eight teams last season.
She has been added to the roster following the departure of England’s shooter Jo Harten to play in the ANZ in Australia and New Zealand.
On the day Barbados were trounced 73-32 back in April by England in the last of three Tests, Piggott’s individual performance caught the eye of former England defender Amanda Newton.
“We had just had a big loss and we were down, but she was there smiling, acting as though we had won. She told me none of the defenders in England could mark me and I just went along with it,” Piggott told the SATURDAY SUN.
A key member of double-crown champions C.O. Williams Rangers, Piggott thought the excitement would wear off, but when she was contacted via email at the end of May and told she had been recommended to Lightning coach Olivia Murphy, she realized it was serious.
When the offer came, she was thinking about her job and family, but decided to give it a try. Still, June and July passed with no word. She was contacted again in July and September and the process gained momentum.
Piggott will be in England from December 29 to June 2 and will miss most of next year’s Barbados Netball Association season.
“It is a good opportunity. I will keep myself as humble as possible even though a lot of people are more excited than I am,” she said. “It is a real opportunity for us Barbadians, and I hope to open the door for others.”
While the Lightning will cover some expenses, Piggott has to make her way to England and is accepting sponsorship.
With more than 40 national caps, Piggott has also represented Barbados at the Under-16 and Under-21 levels, as well as at the Americas Federation of Netball Association Championships, two World Championships and one Commonwealth Games.
She has not forgotten her start at Eden Lodge Primary with Alma Haynes, her development at Springer Memorial and the hard work of Harriet Waithe and Sandra Bruce-Small at Rangers to bring her to this point. (SAT)
