Oaklands Wolves have moved to add 6ft 1in Spanish forward,Raquel Navarro Martinez as they look to take their recent league form into the WBBL Trophy this month.

Originating from Santander, Martinez arrives for her first spell in the WBBL and brings a wealth of experience despite her young age. A three year pro, she most recently turned out for UCAM Jairis in the Spanish second tier, with previous seasons spent at ADBA and Universidad de Oviedo.

With confirmation Kata Fulop will miss the entire season after surgery, Coach Ryan has been looking for the right forward to compliment the teams’ style and to help them gain ground on the teams above them in the league standings.

He commented “Raquel is a skilled and versatile forward, who will give us much needed depth in the front court. I’ve been impressed with her practices this week and she fits the teams ethos perfectly.

“Already close with the players, we will be using the Trophy run to embed her into the group and rotation,” added Ryan.

Martinez will appear this weekend for the Wolves as they host Leicester riders today before travelling to Cardiff on Sunday.

The player is excited about her first spell playing professionally outside of Spain and see’s Oaklands as the perfect place to continue her development

She stated: “Oaklands gives me the opportunity to grow as a player. i’m looking forward to learning a new style and testing myself in a new league.

“Playing internationally is about more than just performing for the team, it’s also a chance to improve my English and open up my experiences of the game. I like the team and how we play, and I’ll do what it takes to help them achieve their goals.”