| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 16 April 1972 New Zealand | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Netball career | |||
| Playing position(s): C, WA | |||
| Years | Club team(s) | Apps | |
| 1998–99, 2001 | Northern Force | ||
| Years | National team(s) | Caps | |
| 1992, 1997–99 |  New Zealand | ||
Medal record | |||
| Last updated: 26 March 2010 | |||
Sonya Hardcastle (born 16 April 1972) [1] is a New Zealand former international netball player.
An attacking midcourt player, Hardcastle was first selected for the New Zealand national netball team, the Silver Ferns, in 1992. [2] She sustained a back injury the following year, which kept her out of the 1993 World Games. [3] Outside of netball, Hardcastle was stalked several times during her early international career. [4] After taking time out to focus on studies, Hardcastle rejoined the Silver Ferns in 1997, [3] and went on to win silver medals at the 1998 Commonwealth Games and 1999 Netball World Championships.
With the start of the Coca-Cola Cup (later the National Bank Cup) in 1998, Hardcastle signed with the Northern Force; having moved to live in Invercargill, she also started playing provincial netball for Southland. [5] She announced her retirement from all forms of netball after 1999, [6] although she played again with the Northern Force in 2001; [7] she also made a surprise return to play with North Harbour in the 2008 provincial netball season. [2]
Her sisters Nadine and Rochelle also played alongside Sonya in domestic netball, with Rochelle joining her in the Northern Force. Her mother is also a coach with Netball North Harbour. [8]
