NS SCOREBOARD

[Ian Harkin]

#1322461

Round 12

By Zara Collings

After eleven rounds in Wakefield, the Vitality Netball SuperLeague kicked off the second part of the season in London’s infamous Copperbox Arena. The Copperbox, also dubbed the home of England Netball, gave us the same bright lights, incredible graphics and professional feel that we saw in Wakefield and it is a true testament to the hard work that goes on behind the scenes from everyone involved with the league. Six matches made up Round 12, with Team Bath, Strathclyde Sirens, Loughborough Lightning, Wasps, Leeds Rhinos and London Pulse all coming away from the weekend with three vital championship points.

Read more… https://netballscoop.com/ns-scoreboard-vnsl-round-12/

[Ian Harkin]

#1322783

We’re back for 2021…..

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NS SCOREBOARD – SSN Round 1

West Coast Fever 65 def Melbourne Vixens 51 (16-12, 18-12, 13-11, 18-13)
Sunshine Coast Lightning 67 def Collingwood Magpies 56 (17-16, 16-14, 21-16, 13-10)
NSW Swifts 69 def Queensland Firebirds 66 (18-13, 17-17, 13-15, 16-19, ET: 5-2)
Giants Netball 66 def Adelaide Thunderbirds 52 (14-10, 22-15, 17-14, 13-13)

Read… https://netballscoop.com/ns-scoreboard-ssn-round-1/

Sue McKay

[Ian Harkin]

#1322887

Round 2

By Ian Harkin

Round two is done and dusted in the 2021 ANZ Premiership and we have just one undefeated team left standing. The Stars have started the season with two strong wins and sit alone on top of the ladder. Likewise, there is only one team yet to taste victory and that’s a surprise. The Tactix, last year’s grand finalists and one of the top pre-season fancies for this year’s title have started with two resounding defeats. There are no easy wins in the competition this year, so it’s going to be a battle for them to get on the board.

The first match of the weekend saw Northern Mystics open their account for the season with a win over Southern Steel in a high scoring match. Defence went out the window for much of this game as the two spearheads dominated in a 122-goal encounter. English import George Fisher continued her tremendous start in the ANZ Premiership with a perfect 42 from 42 for the Steel. Normally, a flawless shooting display like that would make her the star of the show, but at the other end of the court in this match was Grace Nweke who slotted 56 from 60.

Read more… https://netballscoop.com/ns-scoreboard-anzp-round-2/

[Ian Harkin]

#1323067

Round 13/14

By Zara Collings

Rounds 13 and 14 gave us another double header weekend at the Copperbox, with all eleven teams taking to the East London court. There were huge match ups throughout the weekend, with many teams taking on their ladder neighbours, giving us plenty of movement across the board.

It will be a weekend that Celtic Dragons will not forget, securing their first win of the season against Surrey Storm. Whilst it may have taken them thirteen rounds to get it right, they absolutely deserved those three points for a gritty and much improved performance. Annika Lee-Jones and Abbie Tyrrell were strong in defence, each securing four gains for their team and Amy Clinton was as reliable as ever under the post, shooting at 97%. The leadership of Clare Jones on court has been key in turning around the Welsh side’s fortunes, who put out another consistent performance to drive her team to success, also securing her spot in the Sky Sports Pundit Team of the Week.

Read more… https://netballscoop.com/ns-scoreboard-vnsl-rounds-13-14/

Ben Lumley/England Netball

[Ian Harkin]

#1323576

NS SCOREBOARD – SSN Round 2

GIANTS d Magpies 66-54 (19-8, 19-13, 14-17, 14-16)
Fever d Swifts 63-55 (13-17, 13-11, 18-15, 19-12)
Lightning d Vixens 56-51 (15-11, 16-9, 15-16, 10-15)
Firebirds d Thunderbirds 68-57 (22-15, 16-13, 14-16, 16-13)

READ… https://netballscoop.com/ns-scoreboard-ssn-round-2/

Danny Dalton

[Ian Harkin]

#1323577

Round 3

By Ian Harkin

After round three, it’s greatly differing fortunes for two of the pre-season favourites. Stars are still unbeaten and Tactix still hasn’t registered a victory. Meanwhile, the first match of the weekend was in Invercargill as Steel took on Pulse. The two time defending champions were still without Silver Ferns captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio, and we now know that situation will continue for the rest of the season as she has just announced she is pregnant. Congratulations to Ameliaranne.

Pulse was on the back foot from the start as the home side skipped out to an 11-4 lead after nine minutes. At half time, the score was 29-22 in Steel’s favour, and although challenged and in fact briefly headed in the third quarter, the locals held their nerve to run out four-goal winners in front of their adoring fans. English import George Fisher had another terrific game for Steel, and she was fed superbly by Tiana Metuarau. At the other end of the court, young defender Taneisha Fifita continued her strong form. Aliyah Dunn and Claire Kersten were among the best for Pulse.

Read more… https://netballscoop.com/ns-scoreboard-anzp-round-3/

[Ian Harkin]

#1323986

NS SCOREBOARD – SSN Round 3

Collingwood Magpies 60 def Adelaide Thunderbirds 56 (16-16, 16-14, 12-14, 16-12)
West Coast Fever 69 def Sunshine Coast Lightning 54 (12-21, 19-10, 21-12, 17-11)
NSW Swifts 55 def Melbourne Vixens 43 (18-8, 14-11, 12-16, 11-8)
GIANTS Netball 67 def Queensland Firebirds 60 (14-14, 23-16, 17-11, 13-19)

NS SCOREBOARD – SSN Round 3

[Ian Harkin]

#1324070

Round 15

by Zara collings

It was business as usual in Round 15 of the Vitality Netball SuperLeague for our top four teams, with Team Bath, Manchester Thunder, Loughborough Lightning and Wasps all putting another three points on the board and increasing the distance between them and their competitors. Whilst many (including myself!) were tipping Team Bath and Leeds Rhinos to have a battle for the ages, Bath produced a dominating performance that certainly quietened any calls for an upset from the newcomers. For the first time since Round 1, Leeds were hesitant to feed the ball into their superstar shooter Donnell Wallam and this lack of confidence was pounced upon by two very ball-hungry Bath defenders in Layla Guscoth and Eboni Osuro-Brown, who racked up eight gains between them across the 48 minutes.

Read more… https://netballscoop.com/ns-scoreboard-vnsl-round-15/

Ben Lumley

[Ian Harkin]

#1324071

Round 16

by Zara Collings

After sixteen rounds of the Vitality Netball SuperLeague, two teams have secured their spot in the semi finals. With a sixteen goal win over Surrey Storm, Team Bath were the first to book their finals ticket and can no longer finish outside the top four after securing fifteen wins from sixteen games so far this season. It was a strong performance from the side in blue, winning each quarter by at least three goals or more. Shooting duo Kim Borger and Sophie Drakeford-Lewis showed why they are considered to have one of the best attacking connections in the league, shooting at an impressive 92%. Head Coach Anna Stenbridge once again took the opportunity to empty her bench late in the fourth quarter and this depth will be key for Bath heading into finals.

Read more… https://netballscoop.com/ns-scoreboard-vnsl-round-16/

ben lumley

[Ian Harkin]

#1324378

Round 4

By Ian Harkin

The Stars maintained their position on top of the ANZ Premiership ladder as they kept their unbeaten record intact in the first match of round four. Stars won every quarter as they defeated Southern Steel 59-45. An example of their dominance is the number of attempts each team had; 78 for Stars compared to just 56 for Steel.

Stars’ win was built on a strong defence which stifled the Steel attacking play and led to a string of possession gains, 23 in all. Leading the way again was the circle defensive duo of goal keeper Elle Temu and ageless goal defence Anna Harrison, who each finished with seven gains. Lisa Mather at wing defence also had an outstanding game. This back three is developing into a combination that will be extremely difficult to beat.

Gifted all the extra possession, Stars midcourters Mila Reuela-Buchanan and Gina Crampton didn’t waste it as once again they combined for over 40 goal assists. The success rate of shooters Maia Wilson and Jamie Hume was a touch lower than they would have liked, otherwise the eventual winning margin would have been even greater.

read more… https://netballscoop.com/ns-scoreboard-anzp-round-4/

[Ian Harkin]

#1324379

Round 5

By Ian Harkin

Round five of the ANZ Premiership saw competition leaders Stars retain their unbeaten record and Tactix and Mystics play out an absolute thriller. Meanwhile there was a sense of deja vu about the other result. In the opening game of the round, Steel defeated Pulse 56-52, exactly the same score they had beaten the defending champions by in their round three clash just a fortnight earlier. A run of five straight Steel goals two-thirds of the way through the first quarter had the visitors up 14-9. From there they were never headed, despite Pulse drawing level on two occasions. On both occasions Steel held firm, including another run of five goals in the third quarter.

Incredible shooting accuracy (52/54) from Pulse allowed them to stay right in the match, but in the end, it was the more efficient midcourt of Steel which held sway. Captain Shannon Saunders led by example at wing attack with 23 assists, one gain and just one turnover. Along with centre Kate Heffernan, Saunders was able to provide the Steel shooters with consistent opportunities. English import George Fisher made more unforced errors than in earlier rounds, but was still a dominant figure up front, and her combination with Tiana Metuara continues to flourish.

Read more… https://netballscoop.com/ns-scoreboard-anzp-round-5/

[Ian Harkin]

#1324535

NS SCOREBOARD – SSN Round 4

Collingwood Magpies 68 def. Queensland Firebirds 65 (17-15, 16-18, 19-16, 16-16)
West Coast Fever 70 def. Adelaide Thunderbirds 62 (13-21, 21-13, 21-14, 15-14)
Sunshine Coast Lightning 58 def. NSW Swifts 54 (18-18, 14-15, 14-10, 12-11)
Giants Netball 68 def. Melbourne Vixens 54 (13-8, 19-18, 17-16, 19-12)

NS SCOREBOARD – SSN Round 4

[Ian Harkin]

#1325348

NS SCOREBOARD – SSN Round 5

Melbourne Vixens 66 def. Queensland Firebirds 64 (16-24, 19-13, 16-16, 15-11)
Sunshine Coast Lightning 59 def. Adelaide Thunderbirds 58 (15-12, 15-17, 12-14, 17-15)
New South Wales Swifts 62 def. Collingwood Magpies 53 (14-14, 19-15, 12-15, 17-9)
West Coast Fever 66 def. GIANTS Netball 65 (13-17, 16-20, 18-13, 19-15)

Read… https://netballscoop.com/netball-scoop-suncorp-super-netball-round-5-2021/

[Ian Harkin]

#1325502

Rounds 17/18

By Zara Collings

Rounds 17 and 18 marked the first time the Vitality Netball Superleague was able to welcome crowds in over 400 days. A few hundred lucky fans, including some of your Netball Scoop UK team, were able to head to London’s Copper Box Arena to witness ten thrilling encounters, which had a significant impact on the remainder of the season and who would take the last remaining spot in finals.

Manchester Thunder became the third side to secure their place in this year’s finals series with a win over Severn Stars, 55-43. It was a strong showing from the Northern side, with each player stepping up to win their on-court battle against their opponent. Coaches Karen Grieg and Tracey Neville once again demonstrated the depth of talent that has come through their pathways, with all twelve players taking to court. This will be vital during the finals, as these young players know they have the trust from their coaching team and have proven throughout the season that they are capable of delivering under pressure.

Read more… https://netballscoop.com/ns-scoreboard-vnsl-round-17-18/

Ben Lumley/England Netball

[Ian Harkin]

#1325631

NS SCOREBOARD – ANZP Round 6

By Ian Harkin

Well, what a turn up we saw in Round six of the ANZ Premiership. It seems strange to call a match an upset when the two-time defending champions win, but that’s exactly what it was as Pulse defeated the previously unbeaten Stars very comfortably 57-44. Not many saw this result coming, despite the margin being just four goals when the two teams met in the very first match of the season. For Pulse, the star of the show was Fijian defender Kelera Nawai who had an incredible match, her performance seeing a struggling Stars captain Maia Wilson benched.

For Stars, it’s a wake up call. It will be back to the drawing board now for the next time they come up against the premiers. There were excuses for the size of the defeat however. With the score level at 18 apiece in the second quarter, Anna Harrison had to leave the court with an ankle injury. She returned to the court late in the third quarter, but by then, a lot of the damage to Stars’ hopes had been done. Pulse were on a roll by that stage and they surged to a strong victory, putting the competition on notice that they won’t give up their crown easily.

Read more… https://netballscoop.com/ns-scoreboard-anzp-round-6/

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