KEY POINTS:
Former Silver Ferns defender Anna Scarlett has retired from all netball to concentrate on her beach volleyball career.
Scarlett and beach volleyball teammate Susan Blundell have made a full-time commitment to the beach volleyball world tour beginning in March 2008, with the goal of qualifying for the 2012 Olympics.
Scarlett, who debuted for the Silver Ferns in 2002, played a total of 39 games for New Zealand and was part of the team which won the 2003 world title and Commonwealth Games gold last year in Melbourne.
New Zealand netball coach Ruth Aitken dropped Scarlett in July this year when she named her squad for last month's world championships.
Scarlett today said the decision to give up netball had been a difficult one, but she wanted to pursue "another exciting direction and opportunity" in her beach volleyball career.
"It has been an incredible and special honour to be a part of the rich Silver Ferns history, and I will always cherish that."
- NZPA
