Soap Stars Prepare for Court Clash

Midshire Business Systems,  headline sponsors of Manchester Thunder netball and are pleased to announce the launch of  a soap star charity netball match.

Female soap stars from Coronation Street and Emmerdale are preparing to square-up to each other in a netball charity match.

Coronation Street actresses Samia Ghadie (Maria Connor), Alison King (Carla Connor) and Katy Cavanagh (Julie Carp) will be part of a team taking on Emmerdale’s Charley Webb (Debbie Dingle), Megan Macey (Gaynor Faye), Vanessa Woodfield (Michelle Hardwick) and Laurel Thomas (Charlotte Bellamy).

The soap showdown will be taking place at the home of national netball team Manchester Thunder on Sunday, September 22 and is being held to raise cash for ITV’s Text Santa charity which supports six charities including Age UK and Barnardo’s.

The netball charity match was inspired by a tweet written by Samia Ghadie to soap mate Charley Webb from Emmerdale. The star who plays glamorous Corrie hairdresser Maria, suggested a netball challenge to Charley and it was spotted by Debbie Hallas, the Director of Manchester Thunder.

Debbie has arranged for the Corrie stars to attend training sessions with Manchester Thunder over the summer at Thunder’s home venue – Wright Robinson Sports Arena.

While the Emmerdale stars are undergoing training sessions with Thunder’s Yorkshire Rivals, the Yorkshire Jets, at their home venue on the Headingley Campus of Leeds Metropolitan University.

Great friends Samia and Charley are gearing up for the soap showdown on the court in September and looking forward to the court work-out.

Said Samia: “It started out as a bit of fun one morning when I was in make-up. I used to play netball and I know there’s a few of the Corrie crew who used to play, so I suggested to Charley we should have a match for a laugh.

“Now, with the support from Manchester Thunder and Yorkshire Jets, it’s stepped up a gear and we’re keen to put on a good show – and, above all, raise plenty of money for Text Santa.”

And Samia added: “We’ve already had our first training session with Manchester Thunder and it was amazing. Those girls are really fit and talented and so tall. We can’t match their standard but we’ll be trying our best to win, for the pride of The Street.”

The soap stars, decked out in the gold and black of Manchester Thunder, will be joined on court by some of Manchester Thunder’s international netballers including Sara Bayman, Emma Dovey, Laura Malcolm and Rachel Henry while the Emmerdale stars in the pink and purple of Yorkshire Jets will be supported by some of the Jets’ top stars, including captain Joanne Walker, Lauren Potter and Natalie Haythornthwaite.

All the monies raised will go to Text Santa whose six charities are Age UK, Barnado’s, Beat Bullying, British Heart Foundation, Clic Sargent and Help the Hospices. The money will be equally divided.