Sara Bayman and Helen Housby return to Manchester Thunder fold for Fast5 All-Stars Netball tournament

Former captain Sara Bayman and shooter Helen Housby will return to Manchester Thunder for the Fast5 All-Stars Netball tournament in the autumn.

The pair will join eight current Thunder players in the squad of 10 as the 'All Star' additions, with Emma Dovey, Kerry Almond, Dani Bloomfield, Bea Skingsley, Gabby Marshall, Sophie Morgan, Kathryn Turner and Amy Clinton also selected by head coach Karen Greig.

England internationals Housby and Bayman both headed Down Under to play in the Australian and New Zealand domestic leagues for the 2017 season.

Bayman, a stalwart player for the Black and Yellows, captained Thunder to the Superleague title in 2014.

That was also a breakthrough season for the then teenager Housby, who has since gone on to play for England at the World Cup in Australia.

Wigan-born Bayman, who played for ANZ Championship side Central Pulse last season, said: "I'm really excited to be back in the Thunder colours and I'm looking forward to what promises to be a great tournament.

"It will be a lot of fun for both players and spectators. I've missed Manchester and the Thunder girls, so it'll be great to be back amongst the group."

For 22-year-old Housby, a trip to London's O2 on Saturday, September 23 and the chance to play for Thunder again was too good an opportunity to miss.

"I'm super excited to be back in the Black and Yellow, even if it is just for a day. I'm looking forward to seeing some old team mates and coaches and playing at an amazing arena. I've never played at the O2 so I can't wait for that day to come around."

Catch the action from the Fast5 All-Stars Championship live Sky Sports Mix from 4.30pm on Saturday, September 23.

And follow the 2018 Vitality Superleague season with us on Sky Sports and through our website skysports.com/Netball also our app for mobile devices and iPad, or follow our Twitter account @SkyNetball

The regular season league home and away matches run from February to June, culminating in semi-finals and a Grand Final to determine the league champion.