Surrey Storm is delighted to announce the re-signing of Zimbabwe Captain Felisitus Kwangwa and Storm GK Leah Middleton for the 2023 Superleague season!
Both Kwangwa and Middleton return in the duck egg blue and were quite the defensive combo last season.
After finishing strong towards the end of 2021, Kwangwa returned home to play in the African Championships and Pent series. Upon arrival ahead of the 2022 Superleague Kwangwa made it clear she was ready to take a starting role in the squad.
After missing Kwangwa for the opening games due to visa registrations, Head Coach Austin quickly identified the success of Middleton and Kwangwa controlling the circle on defence which led to shifting Middleton to GK and Felisitus to GD for the rest of the season.
Middleton, one of Storms most consistent players last season made an appearance in every game. The Goalkeeper racked up 82 deflections, 81 turnovers and 26 interceptions across the season.
Looking forward to being back at Sports Park: “I’m super excited to be back at Storm this season. Last season it was so rewarding to see our improvement within the group and I’m very keen to see how much more we can push as a franchise. Having the storm fans back in the building was immense, we definitely felt the love and for me personally I believe they play a massive part in our growth!”
Fan favourite and most improved winner Kwangwa commented: I’m grateful to be part of Storm family this coming season. The goal is always to be crowned the champions of 2023 season and that is what we will strive for.”
Head Coach Mikki Austin pleased with the defensive unit returning commented: We are excited to Welcome Leah middleton back to Surrey Storm for the third year. Leah gives us the presence within the defensive circle required within the VNSL Leah ended 2022 sitting 3rd in the VNSL for deflections. We look forward to continuing to work with Leah on her defensive game in 2023.
Felisitus worked tirelessly on her game throughout the season and reaped the rewards in court time. She is a relentless tracker with the ability to win ball when it counts, and I truly believe will continue to thrive into next season. We look forward to seeing what Felisitus can achieve.