'Pavlova' back on England course as Forest eye glory

Nottingham Forest's Tash Pavelin and Jayda Pechova are rarely apart. They live together, share the defensive circle on court, and have played side by side for the past three seasons.

They were also together when they found out in late May that both have been selected for the 2026-27 England Vitality Roses programme, which puts them in the frame for the Commonwealth Games next month.

Affectionately nicknamed 'Pavlova' by fans, Pavelin and Pechova will be operating in tandem when Forest - in their second season - contest their first Netball Super League semi-final on Saturday against East Midlands rivals Loughborough Lightning.

This is a hectic time of year for elite-level netballers. Amid it all, the England selection was a real tonic.

"We were in the gym, waiting for the emails to come through," said 28-year-old Pavelin. "We were both refreshing our phones so much, and then we literally found out five minutes apart. We were just so happy for each other."

Amid Forest's build-up to their first taste of the play-offs, England's call provided a poignant moment particularly for Pechova, who had been longing for a return to the international stage.

The Nottingham Forest goal keeper, only 21, is no stranger to the soaring highs and brutal lows of professional sport.

In 2022, aged 18, Pechova was nominated for the BBC's Young Sports Personality of the Year award and recognised as one of England's brightest prospects.

Her first senior cap followed in 2023 against New Zealand. Then in 2024, having earned a scholarship with Bath University, Team Bath were disbanded as part of a major Netball Super League restructure.

Pechova - just like Pavelin, who was also a Bath player - had no time to mope. Instead, she moved her life to Nottingham to join newly established Forest.

For Pechova, the unexpected disruption meant she had to commute between Nottingham and Bath - a 300-mile round trip - to keep up with her sports management degree.

Life became challenging. In 2025, she was dropped from the Roses senior programme and then she was not selected initially for the Youth World Cup.

"It was quite a big shock because I thought I'd had a good season in Super League," Pechova told BBC Sport.

This scenario left Pechova needing support. It came in spades from Chelsea Pitman, Nottingham Forest's coach, who as a player won Commonwealth Games gold with England in 2018. Pitman could see how Pechova's life had been upended.

"She was devastated. Rightly so," said Pitman.

The Forest coach was exactly the right person to approach.

"When I got dropped from the England squad, the first thing I did was message Chelsea. She picked me up straight away, we got a coffee and went on a walk," Pechova remembers.

Pitman's coaching philosophy follows a strong belief in player development. Together they had to find a way to get Pechova back in the Roses fold.

"We looked at what she could do in her high performance behaviours and that consistency piece - what does England need to see from her?" said Pitman.

"And she has just attacked it. She's turning up to every session to put her best foot forward. She is extremely resilient. She wants to watch videos; she wants to be better."

Pechova ascribes her resilience to the decade or so she spent training and competing in gymnastics before turning to netball.

"There's stuff you go through in that environment that's just crazy," she said.

She spoke too about how her mother would tell her how "actions speak louder than words" in trying circumstances.

Actions have been loud and clear in 2026, with Pechova's defensive stats putting her in the top three for rebounds, interceptions and gains.

Such defiance has delighted Pitman.

"She now wants to be better, faster, stronger and wants to think about her tactical game more so than she ever did," Pitman said.

Forest finished fourth in the eight-team NSL to earn a first shot at the post-season series in which the champions will be crowned.

They face a daunting 'minor' semi-final against Loughborough, who finished the regular season with an 11-3 win-loss record. Forest won seven of 14 matches to take fourth place, but they did beat Loughborough just three weeks ago.

The winners will go on to face the beaten side from the 'major' semi-final between the top two - AO Manchester Thunder and last year's champions London Pulse.

Whoever wins the 'major' semi-final goes directly into the Grand Final, to be played at Co-op Live in Manchester on 20 June.

Pitman's side are outsiders of the four remaining teams, but the tricky path to the Grand Final doesn't worry the coach.

"It is a hard journey, but it's not impossible," Pitman said.

Pavelin and Pechova will need to be at their sharpest to keep Loughborough in check.

So what to make of the 'Pavlova' portmanteau?

Ultimately, it's a compliment to two players who are valuable to club and country.

"We had a little chuckle when we first saw it together," said Pavelin. "It's really nice for that recognition as well of the defensive partnership and what we do for each other."

Pechova has more than a possible medal tilt at the Commonwealth Games in her summer diary.

She will graduate from Bath, having completed a dissertation on the professionalisation of Netball Super League and its effect on player livelihoods.

Considering the revamp involved the demise of her old team, the birth of her current side, and a dramatic life change, it is a topic she should be expert in by now.