Monday 30 December 2019 12:34, UK
Jo Harten and Serena Guthrie have both paid tribute to each other and to their England team-mates after being awarded MBEs in the New Year Honours list for 2020.
The duo, who were integral to the Vitality Roses winning a bronze medal at the Netball World Cup in July, have both been recognised for services to netball in the Honours list.
They follow in closely in the footsteps of team-mate Geva Mentor, who was honoured with a CBE in the 2019 list.
Mentor collected her CBE in November from the Duke of Cambridge and presented Princess Charlotte with a netball.
Former Roses head coach Tracey Neville received her MBE for services to the sport back in 2016.
After over a decade at the top of the world game, Harten, Mentor and Guthrie are all taking time away from the international stage.
On her social media channel, Harten, who scored the match-winning goal against Jamaica en-route to Commonwealth Games gold in 2018, spoke of an 'exciting personal accolade' after finding out about the Honour.
She added that she was sharing the award with team-mates and those who had played roles in building English netball from the grassroots stage up to the elite level.
Guthrie made her England debut against Malawi in April 2008 and has represented England at three Netball World Cups, including leading the team on home soil in 2019.
The mid-court player's domestic career saw her start at Team Bath Netball before moving to New Zealand and then Australia, where she linked together with Harten at GIANTS.
Both athletes will be taking a keen interest in the Vitality Roses' work this coming January as the side take to court for the Vitality Nations Cup.
Jess Thirlby's team will host the reigning world champions New Zealand, Jamaica and South Africa across four match-days in three different cities.
England's competition commences against New Zealand on January 19 and head coach Thirlby has already named a 14-strong playing squad for the competition.
Without Harten and Helen Housby in the shooting end, Eleanor Cardwell, George Fisher, Sophie Drakeford-Lewis, Kadeen Corbin and captain Natalie Haythornthwaite will jostle for the starting spots.
In mid-court, the likes of Laura Malcolm, Natalie Panagarry and the returning Chelsea Pitman will look to lead England's charge as they play on home soil for the first time since July's Netball World Cup.
Sky Sports is your home of netball and live action returns with the Vitality Nations Cup in January 2020. The four-nation competition starts on January 19 with England taking on the world champions New Zealand.
