Contributors – Zara Collings, Eve Corbett, Iona St Joseph, Bethany Lord & Ian Harkin
Mid-Table Madness
By Zara Collings
After another tightly-fought weekend of netball, Loughborough Lightning and Team Bath have pushed ahead of the rest of the teams to sit at the top of the Vitality Netball SuperLeague table, with a five point gap emerging between them and the rest of the league.
Team Bath were able to maintain their unbeaten streak, adding another two wins to their 2021 season tally against Surrey Storm and Strathclyde Sirens. However both matches were certainly not easy for Bath, with teams slowly working out how to break down the attacking unit of Kim Borger and Sophie Drakeford-Lewis, who have so far this season been unstoppable. Sirens were able to turn the ball over 13 times in this match, the most of any team that has faced Bath so far this season. In defence, Bath have a plethora of talent available and lose nothing in their structures when they substitute English Rose Layla Guscoth for young-gun Tash Pavelin at Goal Defence, a change which we are seeing more as the rounds go on. However they do not have the same fluidity when making attacking changes, with the introduction of Betsy Creak and Jess Shaw taking a while to settle in Bath’s game against Storm. Bath will look to continue to develop their attacking options to ensure that they are able to make these adjustments in crunch moments later in the season if needs be.
Manchester Thunder were back to winning ways taking three vital points in the opening game of the round against Celtic Dragons. Thunder’s shooters were on fire, averaging 92% in their 69 goal performance. Coach Karen Grieg was able to rotate all four of her shooters onto the court, with both Berri Neal and Lois Pearson gaining further valuable court time. Alicia Scholes also had a stand out performance at Wing Attack and her drive and zip through court was exactly what Thunder needed. With a strong performance against bottom placed Dragons, it will be interesting to see if Grieg has the same confidence to bring on Scholes in one of Thunders’ closer matches, as the team has certainly lacked the natural flair of a Wing Attack in recent weeks.
After securing their first win last weekend, London Pulse started strongly against Saracens Mavericks, however were unable to maintain intensity for the full four quarters and lost to Mavericks with by a seven goal margin. Whilst there can be no denying Pulse’s solid defensive pressure, things broke down slightly in the Pulse attacking end. Without the option of Liv Tschine on the bench, Sigi Burger played her first full game at GS of the season and at times, struggled against the immense physical pressure of Mavericks Goal Keeper Razia Quashie. With Quashie making a name for herself in the English Roses squad, it was always going to be a tough day at the office for Burger, but at times her hold in the circle lacked confidence and purpose and her midcourt seemed to lack the confidence to feed her. Pulse will need to maintain consistency in their attacking end if they are to challenge one of the league’s strongest defensive units in Team Bath in Round 8.
The most thrilling match of the round once again went to Strathclyde Sirens, as they gave us our second draw of the season against Wasps. Whilst the result was the same as their last performance against Mavericks, this time, the game was theirs to lose. Sirens were up by two in the final minute, with Wasps able to capitalise on an errant pass from Captain Gia Abernethy. The fact that we are talking about Sirens taking points from both Mavericks and Wasps is incredibly positive for the Scottish franchise and this has certainly been their most impressive start to a campaign since their inception. However, it is now up to the leaders in the Sirens squad to stand up in those high-pressure situations and guide their team on to the win. Defensively, Sirens have been strong, as Goal Keeper Towera Vinkhumbo sits third in the league for deflections and top for both gains and intercepts on 30 across her eight games, nine ahead of Quashie on 21. Sirens are winning enough ball to cause the upset they are so desperately chasing, however it is the consistency of their attack that is letting them down at the moment. Emma Barrie and Bethan Goodwin have done an incredible job in the absence of Linsay Gallagher, however must convert the ball their defensive unit are turning over if Sirens are to take that elusive victory. They cannot shy away from the physicality of the league’s top defence and must work on maintaining their stature and composure when being hassled on the take.
Whilst the young guns continue to step up across all teams, my “rookie” of the round is actually not a VNSL rookie, but a rookie to her position. Lucy Herdman made the switch from Goal Shooter to Goal Keeper at the start of the season and has not looked back. She topped the gains list this week after an intuitive and spirited performance making eleven gains for her team. Her performance kept Stars in their match with Leeds Rhinos right until the final moments of the fourth quarter and was a standout across the weekend.
With another exciting round of netball coming up next weekend, we see a number of important matchups take to court. Manchester Thunder will be a huge test for Leeds Rhinos to kick off the round, with Vicki Oyesola likely to stand against Ellie Cardwell in Goal Attack. Both are fighting for their spot in the Roses squad and are incredibly strong physically and not afraid of the contest. Sirens are also set to take on Loughborough Lightning, in another gruelling encounter with a top four team. Fuelled by their impressive performances against both Wasps and Bath, they will need to find a way to finish off the game if they are to take any points from this encounter. There are currently five teams all within two points of each other across 3rd – 7th position and the battle between them is only set to intensify as we head in to Round 8.
Stats Leaders of the Week
Most Goals: 47 Joyce Mvula (Thunder v Dragons)
Most Gains: 11 Lucy Herdman (Stars v Rhinos)
Most Offensive Rebounds: 3 Ine-Marie Venter (Mavericks v Pulse)
Most Defensive Rebounds: 4 Abbie Tyrrell (Dragons v Thunder)
Most Intercepts: 5 Lucy Herdman (Stars v Rhinos) & Towera Vinkhumbo (Sirens v Bath)
Thunder’s Joyce Mvula was player of the match with 47 goals against Dragons. Photo: England Netball
RESULTS
MANCHESTER THUNDER 69 def CELTIC DRAGONS 33
Thunder:
Joyce Mvula 47/50 (94%)
Eleanor Cardwell 19/21 (90%)
Berri Neil 3/3 (100%)
TOTAL 69/74 (93%)
Gains 14 (Airey 5)
Dragons:
Amy Clinton 21/22 (95%)
Rebekah Robinson 12/16 (75%)
TOTAL 33/38 (86%)
Gains 8 (Tyrell 4)
Player of the Match: Joyce Mvula (Thunder)
Pulse’s Sigi Burger takes the ball despite the presence of Mavericks’ Razia Quashie. Photo: England Netball
SARACENS MAVERICKS 39 def LONDON PULSE 32
Mavericks:
Ine-Mari Venter 24/30 (80%)
Kadeen Corbin 15/19 (79%)
TOTAL 39/49 (80%)
Gains 8 (Quashie 3)
Pulse:
Sigi Burger 18/22 (82%)
Kira Rothwell 14/17 (82%)
TOTAL 32/39 (82%)
Gains 11 (Adio 5)
Player of the Match: Kadeen Corbin (Mavericks)
Match Report – Mavericks v Pulse
By Iona St Joseph
Ninth place London Pulse faced third place Saracens Mavericks in the second of Sunday afternoon’s Round Seven games. Pulse have struggled to produce a consistent four quarter performance this season, but seem to have used the break to their advantage putting out a strong performance against Celtic Dragons. Mavericks, on the other hand, kicked off Round Seven in third place, looking to improve on their performance that saw them tie with Strathclyde Sirens in the first draw of the season.
Who dominated?
It was a scrappy, low scoring first quarter with each team picking up possession following turnover after turnover. An intercept from Jodie Gibson was quickly cancelled out by another intercept, this time from Ellie Rattu. There was no reward down the shooting end for Pulse though, as a footwork call from Sigi Burger handed the ball back to Mavericks, only for Gabby Marshall to get called for a held ball.
The game took a while to settle, and it was a close first quarter. It seemed as though Mavericks were struggling to get the ball through court, but they took a narrow lead into quarter time 10 – 9.
Although Mavericks won by seven goals, it didn’t feel like a dominating performance. Pulse were in touching distance at several points throughout the game, but Raz Quashie’s tight defence on Burger meant that Pulse just couldn’t get the volume of ball into their shooters that they would have liked.
What worked?
Ine-Marie Venter is really cementing her role in the Mavericks shooting end and it’s fantastic to see her getting court time. The Mavericks feeders of Marshall and Georgia Lees are obviously confident in putting the ball into Venter, and her quick footwork for such a tall shooter means her and Kadeen Corbin are really beginning to form a formidable partnership.
It was interesting to see Venter start at Goal Attack and Corbin at Goal Shooter; both players have played each position in the past so it’s good to see that versatility in the shooting circle.
In the Mavericks defence end, Jo Tripp and Raz Quashie made life tough for the Pulse feeders, shutting down the space in the circle; the defensive pressure meant that Dekker and Rattu were wary of putting the ball up for Burger.
What needs improvement?
The Pulse shooting circle would have had some idea of what they were coming up against in Mavericks’ solid defensive end, but they didn’t seem to react to the pressure. There was a lot of posting up and asking for the ball to be passed in overhead from Burger, but this often resulted in the Mavericks defence shutting down the space around the Goal Shooter, not allowing her to take the ball.
The feeding definitely improved in the third quarter, with more confident balls into Burger helping Pulse to win the quarter 11 – 9, but it wasn’t enough. Kira Rothwell’s movement helped to open up the circle, giving the midcourt an option to get to goal.
Where was it won?
The Mavericks defensive duo of Quashie and Jo Tripp were ruthless, shutting down Burger and not allowing her any space to manoeuvre around the base line. Marshall and Lees delivered in attack as well, feeding good ball into Corbin and Venter in the shooting circle. A strong performance from Mavericks in the second half put them six goals ahead at half time, and Captain Jo Tripp summed up their performance, saying that they were more settled on the ball in the second quarter, giving them the confidence on the ball to wait for the space to open up.
Where was it lost?
Too many errors from Pulse meant that they couldn’t pull the score back, despite coming back to just four goals behind at the end of the third quarter. The number of unforced errors was just too high, with Rattu, Kira Rothwell, Ashleigh Dekker and Michelle Drayne all on three each.
The struggle to feed Burger didn’t help either, and she only put up 22 shots across the whole game.
When was it won or lost?
It was a close first quarter, and it looked like Pulse might mount a comeback in the third, but Mavericks kept their heads when it mattered, and delivered another consistent performance after the scrappy first quarter. Despite coming within touching distance with a difference of two goals, Pulse just couldn’t put their foot down to win the game.
How did she do that?
Despite only shooting at 80%, it was another strong game from Venter who scored the majority of Mavericks’ goals despite playing three quarters at Goal Attack.
At the other end of the court, Kira Rothwell stood up in attack for Pulse as they struggled to get the ball into Burger thanks to Mavericks’ stifling defence. Scoring 14 from 17 shots (82%), just four goals less than Burger at Goal Shooter.
Halimat Adio had a great game for Pulse in defence, picking up five of her team’s 11 gains, and Funmi Fadoju continued to impress as a thorn in the side of any attacker with five deflections. As previously mentioned, Tripp and Quashie were once again formidable in defence, backed up by the reliable Jodie Gibson at Wing Defence.
Starting lineups:
Mavericks: GS Venter, GA Corbin, WA Lees, C Marshall, WD Gibson, GD Tripp, GK Quashie
Pulse: GS Burger, GA Rothwell, WA Dekker, C Rattu, WD Fadoju, GD Everitt, GK Adio
Team Bath’s Serena Guthrie with the ball against Surrey Storm. Photo: England Netball
TEAM BATH 50 def SURREY STORM 30
Storm:
Karyn Bailey 16/20 (80%)
Frankie Wells 11/12 (92%)
Ellie Kelk 3/4 (75%)
TOTAL 30/36 (83%)
Gains 11 (Middleton, Priest 4)
Bath:
Sophie Drakeford-Lewis 24/26 (92%)
Betsy Creak 15/18 (83%)
Kim Borger 11/11 (100%)
TOTAL 50/55 (91%)
Gains 20 (Guscoth 5)
Player of the Match: Sophie Drakeford-Lewis (Bath)
Match Report – Storm v Bath
By Bethany Lord
Eighth place Surrey Storm took on an undefeated Team Bath side in the third match of Round 7. A more exciting game than most expected, it was a credit to Storm that they managed to stay within close range of Bath before dropping off at the end of the third quarter.
Who dominated?
Although Storm put up a good fight, particularly in the first half where they stayed within 8 goals, it should come as no surprise that it was Bath who took home the win. As of yet undefeated this season, Bath appear to be on another level compared to most of their Super League competitors, and it begs the question – what does this mean for the future of the league, and how can we even out the playing field? A stronger competition and tight matches are only going to make for a more exciting, marketable product and lead to an increase in viewership. With Bath only really being challenged in all four quarters by
Loughborough Lightning, who currently sit at second on the ladder, we need to look at what can be done to strengthen the quality of the competition.
What worked?
Although they didn’t win the game, there were a lot of positives for Storm to take home from this match. The defensive partnership between Priest and Middleton is an exciting one to watch develop – despite being a fairly new pairing, it’s clear there is a high level of trust and communication between the two. They presented challenges to arguably the strongest shooting partnership in the league, Team Bath’s Kim Borger and Sophie Drakeford-Lewis, which is no small feat, so it will be interesting to see if they can continue to strengthen throughout the season.
Both Bath and Storm have very exciting second string defenders, with the likes of Summer Artman, Tash Pavelin and Felisitus Kwangwa taking the court for their teams and making an impact in the second half. If these defenders can continue to be able to come on court and make an immediate impact, it bodes well for their defensive squads, especially when it comes to the double header weekends where fresh legs are very welcome.
For Bath, it’s their pre-emptive movements that are particularly impressive. There’s rarely anyone on the squad standing still – they’re constantly looking ahead, working off one another and staggering their starts, which means they’re rarely, if ever, caught with less than two options on the pass. On the flip side, the entire squad is quick to switch to defensive pressure when they lose the ball, with every player contributing. This makes them a tough team to compete against, in all areas of the court – their constant pressure doesn’t allow for any moments of rest.
What needs improvement?
Something Storm struggles with, and that we’ve heard player-coach Mikki Austin talk about a lot in post-match interviews, is consistency. They give strong performances at times but really struggle to hold it for a full four quarter effort, which is something they’re going to need to work on to hold up against the top sides.
It almost sounds a bit silly to say, but Storm need to get more goals on the scoreboard. They’re only averaging scores in the 30s, and they really need to be hitting those 50 goal and up scores – not just to win games, but for that goal difference. It can be easy to forget about, but goal difference can determine your spot on the ladder, particularly important this year when there’s that middle of the ladder press, with lots of teams fighting for those positions. If Storm want to make their way up the ladder, they need to be hitting higher scores, even if they lose the game.
Team Bath might be top of the ladder and undefeated, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have room for improvement. There were a number of small errors made in this game that could be cleaned up, and there’s work for them to do in terms of playing the ball around the attacking circle, particularly when Betsy Creak comes on into Goal Shooter and creates more of a holding circle, compared to Kim Borger’s dynamic movement.
Where was it won?
It’s undeniable that Bath are an intimidating squad, throughout the whole court, but it’s their shooting circle that continues to impress. It doesn’t get much better than Borger and Drakeford-Lewis – with Borger prepared to come out of the circle to create space for Drakeford-Lewis’ drive, it’s an extremely dynamic circle, which we rarely see in the VNSL. Betsy Creak added something new to the circle when she replaced Kim Borger as Goal Shooter in the third quarter, and although it took a few minutes for the team to settle into the rhythm of the new style, it was great to see what Bath can also do with a holding shooter and a developing partnership. Even when there’s a holding shooter in the circle, something Bath does really well is that they don’t rely on one tall, holding shooter. All of their shooters contribute fairly equally to the scoreboard and share the workload in the circle. This is the sign of a top team – everyone contributing to the win, rather than relying on outstanding singular players (yes, Bath has a squad of outstanding players, but every player makes an impact, rather than relying on one or two to do the heavy lifting).
Where was it lost?
Storm struggled getting the ball into the goal third, and it goes without saying that you can’t score goals without getting the ball into the circle. Bath picked up a lot of loose ball on the transverse line due to a lack of prep work from the Storm attackers, particularly on the 2nd phase of the centre pass.
Sophie Kelly was left out of the match day squad this week, with Emma McGee returning from her Round 1 ankle injury and back on the Storm bench. It felt like an interesting choice to leave Kelly out of the lineup – although she’s young and relatively inexperienced, having debuted at only 16 this year, she’s a dynamic player that adds a lot of speed and movement to the Storm circle. The partnership between Karen Bailey and Frankie Wells felt static in comparison, at a time when they really could’ve used some speed and creativity, and Ellie Kelk failed to make much of an impact when she came on in the fourth quarter.
When was it won or lost?
We all know that the third quarter is referred to as the ‘championship quarter’ (and if you didn’t know, you must have had the commentary on mute this season, because it appears to be the commentator’s favourite saying), and this game was a classic example of it. Bath held onto the lead throughout the game, but in the first two quarters Storm stayed within 3 and 8 goals respectively. In the third quarter, this stretched to 15 goals, and Bath ended up taking home a 20 goal win. The fight from 8th placed Storm against top ranked Bath was impressive in the first half, but in the third half they struggled to keep up with the fitness and skill level of the top side.
How did she do that?
It shouldn’t come as a shock that a Serena Guthrie intercept was this match’s ‘how did she do that?’. Taking a flying intercept in the early minutes of the third quarter, Guthrie stole a floating ball right out of the air in front of Storm’s Niamh Cooper. Objectively, I know it’s difficult to do, but Guthrie manages to make it look so clean and effortless – honestly, I’m not 100% convinced she isn’t a superhero.
Starting lineups:
Storm: GS Bailey, GA Wells, WA Parsons, C Austin, WD Cooper, GD Middleton, GK Priest
Bath: GS Borger, GA Drakeford-Lewis, WA J. Shaw, C Guthrie, WD Allison, GD Guscoth, GK Usoro-Brown
To hear from the players and coach, post match, tune into the Surrey Storm Podcast.
It was a real battle between Sirens and Wasps and the game finished drawn. Photo: England Netball
STRATHCLYDE SIRENS 32 drew with WASPS 32
Sirens:
Emma Barrie 18/24 (75%)
Bethan Goodwin 7/12 (58%)
Niamh McCall 7/9 (77%)
TOTAL 32/45 (71%)
Gains 13 (Vinkhumbo 6)
Wasps:
Rachel Dunn 15/17 (88%)
Katie Harris 16/20 (80%)
Gezelle Allison 1/1 (100%)
TOTAL 32/38 (84%)
Gains 18 (Huckle, Williams 7)
Player of the Match: Emily Nicholl (Sirens)
Match Report – Sirens v Wasps
By Eve Cobbett
Rounding off Day 1 of Round 7, Sirens took on Wasps, providing a tightly fought and hugely entertaining game. For Sirens, this was an opportunity to prove that they really could be a top 4 side this season. Whilst for Wasps it was a chance to cement their top 4 status, proving why they should be seen as contenders for this year’s title. In the end, neither team gained the upper hand and the game finished tied. This game was a testament to how close the middle of the table is this season, with only 3 points separating 3rd and 6th.
Who dominated?
This was a game dominated by defence. For Sirens, Towera Vinkhumbo, Emily Nicholl and Taylor Cullen all played vital roles in ensuring Sirens took a point away from this meeting. Vinkhumbo led the stats with 4 deflections and 3 interceptions to her name, with this game’s player of the match, Nicholl, not far behind with 3 deflections and 1 interception. Whilst Cullen looked quiet on paper, with only 1 deflection and 1 interception to her name, it was her dogged tracking of Sophia Candappa and combination with Gia Abernethy that helped the defensive players behind her pick up ball. For Wasps, it was Josie Huckle and Fran Williams who dominated. It was in the defensive rebounds that these two shined, capitalising on Sirens hit and miss shooting by picking up 5 rebounds between them (Williams 1, Huckle 4).
Iona Christian also earned herself an honourable mention, seemingly taking it upon herself to claw back the ball Wasps lost. She came away from this game with 1 interception and 2 deflections, spending much of the second quarter picking back up the ball Wasps lost to Vinkhumbo. Both Christian and Vinkhumbo took the game into their own hands, proving themselves to be leaders out on court. Finally, in the shooting end, Niamh McCall stepped up and made a huge impact for Sirens at goal attack. Whilst only allowed to play for 2 quarters, her load being managed as she returns from injury, McCall delivered where the other Sirens shooters fell short in this game, by sinking shots when it really mattered. With 30 seconds left in the game she sank the shot that took Sirens to 2 up. With Sirens’ shooting looking shaky at times, it was good to see McCall demonstrate that she can be accurate under pressure.
What worked?
Sirens’ defensive structures worked beautifully in this game. They set up a diamond formation from dead ball situations, which they maintained rigidly. This allowed them to work as a unit and proved effective in allowing defensive players to pick up plenty of ball. Although little spoken about, and perhaps underrated, the Sirens’ defensive unit looked well-drilled and effective, and clearly caused Wasps huge issues. In particular, it was fantastic in this game to see the Sirens defensive end go from a unit that hassles players, to a unit that both hassles players and more importantly wins ball – something that has been lacking in the past for this side.
What also worked for Sirens was the attacking play from their defenders. With Lynsey Gallagher out injured, and McCall having her load managed, Sirens need to make it as easy as possible for Bethan Goodwin to play out at goal attack. Her job is made significantly easier when the Sirens’ defenders bring the ball down court from defence, allowing her to focus only on bringing the ball into the final third. It was in this attacking play that Cullen and Nicholl really excelled, looking organised and well-drilled from defensive backlines.
For Wasps too it was their defence that worked in this match. Both Huckle and Williams were consistently picking up ball for Wasps, putting huge pressure on the shot which resulted in 13 missed shots for Sirens. This partnership continues to be consistent and effective for Wasps.
What needs improvement?
For all their defensive triumphs, Sirens still have a lot to improve on in the attacking end. In particular, they must improve both their shooting accuracy and accuracy under pressure. Whilst McCall nailed her shots in the final quarter, Goodwin struggled to make her shots land at pivotal moments throughout the game. It was a sign of things to come in quarter 1 when Goodwin failed to convert a turnover that could have seen Sirens take the lead early on. It is in these moments that Sirens need to see improvement if they are to start coming away with wins, instead of draws, in tight matches. Karen Atkinson also commented that Sirens’ attacking players ‘need to see Emma Barrie that little bit better’. Although Beth Dix had a fine game, her and Abernethy’s feeds did become a little cagey late on in the game as the pressure started to build. If they can improve on their attacking play in pressurised moments, there is no reason why this Sirens side shouldn’t beat Wasps in their second meeting this season.
Improvement is also needed for Wasps in attack. For much of this game the Wasps attackers had tunnel vision, throwing the ball away as there was only one option and the feeder only had eyes for one player or one area of the court. This was clear in the first quarter, where Wasps lost a lot of ball in the left-hand pocket by trying to force the ball into that space. Going forward Wasps need to improve on this by ensuring they always have 2 options and players are offering and re-offering if needs be. Wasps also came unstuck in this game as their attacking players were not paying enough respect to Sirens’ defence. Katie Harris and Rachel Dunn became wary of passing out of the circle due to the pressure from Vinkhumbo and Nicholl, whereas Christian and Candappa neither moved nor re-adjusted their positions, perhaps feeling overly confident that Cullen and Abernethy would not come through for the interception. This led to Wasps’ attack becoming very static, and could perhaps have been solved by Candappa and Christian adjusting their positions to reassure their shooters they were completely free.
Where was the advantage lost?
Although the game ended in a draw, Sirens will be disappointed, feeling they could and should have won this game. Ultimately it was lost for Sirens in their shooting end. They had 45 opportunities to score compared to Wasps’ 38, and only converted 32 of those opportunities. Had their shooting accuracy been higher, they would have won this match.
When was the winning chance lost?
For Sirens, victory slipped away from them in the final 30 seconds. Karen Atkinson suggested in her post-match interview that her players were perhaps ‘naïve in playing possession’ and this exposes the issue for Sirens in this game. This side has little experience of winning. They are improving rapidly and putting out excellent performances this season, but they have little to no experience of playing in high pressure matches. This showed in their choice to play possession as opposed to continuing to attack as they took the final centre-pass of the game. Unfortunately for Sirens this inexperience allowed Wasps back into the game in the dying seconds.
How did she do that?
The ‘how did she do that’ moment of this game belongs to Ella Powell-Davies. Having been on court for less than 10 minutes and having 0 intercepts and 0 deflections to her name up to that point, Powell-Davies came up with the game-drawing intercept with only 30 seconds to go. It might have been an easy pick up, but it showed skill and hunger to come through cleanly for the intercept that led to Wasps drawing level.
Starting lineups:
Sirens: GK Vinkhumbo, GD Nicholl, WD Cullen, C Abernethy, WA Dix, GA Goodwin, GS Barrie
Wasps: GK Huckle, GD Williams, WD Flanagan, C Christian, WA Candappa, GA Harris, GS Dunn
Sirens’ Emily Nicholl was player of the match against Wasps. Photo: England Netball
TEAM BATH 47 def STRATHCLYDE SIRENS 36
Bath:
Kim Borger 29/32 (91%)
Sophie Drakeford-Lewis 18/19 (95%)
TOTAL 47/51 (92%)
Gains 18 (6 Ebony Usuro-Brown)
Sirens:
Emma Barrie 17/23 (74%)
Bethan Goodwin 10/12 (83%)
Niamh McCall 9/12 (75%)
TOTAL 36/47 (77%)
Gains: 13 (9 Vinkhumbo)
Player of the Match: Serena Guthrie (Bath)
Towera Vinkhumbo put in another strong performance for Sirens against Team Bath. Photo: England Netball
LEEDS RHINOS 42 def SEVERN STARS 38
Rhinos:
Sienna Rushton 29/34 (85%)
Rhea Dixon 13/14 (93%)
TOTAL 42/48 (88%)
Gains 12 (4 Kindred)
Stars:
Georgia Rowe 33/36 (92%)
Paige Reed 5/7 (71%)
TOTAL 38/43 (88%)
Gains 13 (11 Herdman)
Player of the match: Rhea Dixon (Rhinos)
Captain Jade Clarke played a crucial role for Leeds Rhinos against Severn Stars. Photo: England Netball
LADDER
(after Round 7)
Team/Played/Points/Goal diff.
BATH . 7 . 21pts . +116
LIGHTNING . 7 . 18pts . +110
WASPS . 7 . 13pts . +48
MAVERICKS . 6 . 13pts . +18
—
THUNDER . 6 . 12pts . +79
RHINOS . 7 . 12pts . 2
SIRENS . 8 . 11pts . -7
STORM . 8 . 6pts . -56
—
PULSE . 6 . 3pts . -26
STARS . 7 . 3pts . -106
DRAGONS . 7 . 0pts . -178
INJURIES
Ongoing injuries/unavailability:
Emma Dovey, Manchester Thunder – unavailable for Manchester Thunder v Celtic Dragons due to rolled ankle in Rounds ⅚.
Lynsey Gallagher Strathclyde Sirens– undergoing surgery for her lateral meniscus and hopes to return before the end of the season
Donnell Wallam, Leeds Rhinos – fractured radius bone, hoping to return in a few weeks
Fi Toner, Leeds Rhinos – achilles injury out for a number of weeks
Catchup on the latest Vitality Netball Superleague news, and hear from the players and coaches via our friends at The Netball Show.
COMING UP
Round 8
Sunday 28th March
12 noon Manchester Thunder v Loughborough Lightning
2pm Severn Stars v Celtic Dragons
4pm London Pulse v Wasps
6pm Saracens Mavericks v Team Bath
Monday 29th March
5.15 v Severn Stars v London Pulse
7.15 Saracens Mavericks v Manchester Thunder
Team Bath moves back to the top of the ladder and they couldn’t be happier. Photo: England Netball
