THE second half of Round 13/14 was complete across Sunday and Monday, with five more massive contests completing a big weekend of action. Both Team Bath and Leeds Rhinos completed the round with two crucial wins from two, while Wasps Netball have a spanner in the works after dropping both of their games to the aforementioned teams, despite maintaining close contact throughout.

Strathclyde Sirens (51) defeated by Leeds Rhinos (69)

Player of the match: Brie Grierson (Leeds Rhinos)

A rampant Leeds Rhinos outfit stormed the Sirens’ party to open Sunday’s proceedings, slamming home 39 goals to 25 in the middle two thirds to send a big message to the rest of the competition, claiming a whopping 18-goal victory. Despite going goal for goal in the final term, the damage was done far earlier as errors were capitalised on by the Rhinos and the Sirens’ confidence was pushed down, with little able to shake the Rhinos’ spearhead in Donnell Wallam.

When it came to top performers, there is no doubt that Wallam was one of the leaders on court with a whopping 62 goals to her name. While Rhea Dixon and Sienna Rushton played handy assisting roles, they were rarely needed to apply scoreboard pressure such was the impact of Wallam who was just about unstoppable, fed expertly by player of the match, Brie Grierson. Towera Vinkhumbo had a crack but was unable to run out the match with a knee injury, replaced in the starting seven by Rachel Conway, as Emily Nicholl managed two intercepts out in goal defence to lead her side defensively and Taylor Cullen worked hard to disrupt the Rhinos’ flow. Overall it appeared as though the Sirens were overawed by the Rhinos’ form, with Vicki Oyesola being a monumental pain in the Rhinos backline, piling on the defensive pressure for a massive 23 turnovers, and creating a nuisance out the front while also allowing Tuaine Keenan to put on a show in goal keeper with four intercepts and three deflections. To the Sirens’ credit, Emma Barrie (23 goals straight) and Niamh McCall (22 from 25) worked hard with ball in hand but were unable to really shake the tough defence.

London Pulse (42) defeated by Manchester Thunder (50)

Player of the match: Caroline O’Hanlon (Manchester Thunder)

London Pulse came out strong in a solid matchup against the Thunder, pushing the side all the way and testing the attack in the eight-goal loss. Thunder flourished upon the return of defender Emma Dovey, and remained consistent all throughout the contest to stave off the Pulse’s rapid-fire comebacks. Without the services of Sigi Burger at the post the Pulse sometimes appeared unsure of where to place the ball, and ultimately the Thunder remained too strong in the big moments which allowed them to clinch victory and remain on their winning streak.

It was another outstanding combined effort from Manchester Thunder goalers Joyce Mvula and Ellie Cardwell that allowed the Thunder to return another impressive scoreline, with the combination of Caroline O’Hanlon and Amy Carter paying off through the midcourt to propel ball into the circle. While both players were rendered slightly less accurate than usual credit to the defensive pressure of Zara Everitt and Halimat Adio (two intercepts apiece), they still piled on 30 and 20 goals at 86 per cent and 78 per cent respectively, as Mvula also picked off five offensive rebounds. Kerry Almond impressed at the other end with five deflections against Olivia Tchine who put up 28 goals from 31 attempts in a solid effort, as Lefebre Rademan was smooth out the front with 14 from 19. Adean Thomas and Kira Rothwell both had a tough time combatting the defensive efforts of Laura Malcolm, who finished with three deflections, as did O’Hanlon in a great defensive effort.

Team Bath (41) defeated Wasps Netball (37)

A tight matchup was had between Bath and Wasps, just as expected. Touted as one of the matches of the round, it certainly lived up to the hype with neither side relenting throughout an intense contest, which saw Bath claim the four goal victory credit to great first and third quarters. Whilst the Wasps gave Bath a run for their money in the final term, it did little to change the momentum of the game as the blue and gold side retained the ascendancy as the final whistle was blown.

The close contest saw neither side put up a huge amount of goals, but when they did they were mostly accurate with two of the five shooting at 100 per cent accuracy and the other three missing a combined seven between them. Kim Borger topscored for the match with 30 goals at 91 per cent, assisted by Sophie Drakeford-Lewis with 11 to her name with the two hard to stop in the frontline. Fran Williams worked hard for three deflections and three turnovers, while the workrate of Amy Flanagan was immense for five deflections and four turnovers, combining well with Iona Christian and Lily-May Catling for six intercepts – two apiece. Rachel Dunn had her eye in with 18 goals from 20 attempts as Gezelle Allison (12 from 12) and Katie Harris (seven from nine) played solid assisting roles to the post, while the Bath defensive brigade was led by Serena Guthrie (six deflections), seeing Layla Guscoth put on a show with six intercepts and five deflections as Eboni Usoro-Brown kept Dunn at a low volume.

Manchester Thunder (41) defeated by Team Bath (44)

Player of the match: Serena Guthrie (Team Bath)

Team Bath have gone a game clear atop the table with a second narrow win of the round, claiming a three-goal victory over a hard-working Manchester Thunder outfit. With a 23-all stalemate at half time, it was clear that neither side would back down in a huge clash between top four contenders, with the second half just as tight as the first. But while the Thunder managed to pull ahead with just the final quarter to come, it was Bath that rallied better under pressure and piled on the pressure for a 12-7 quarter, to take out the three-goal victory.

Guthrie was excellent as ever and utilised every ounce of her experience to lead the side to victory, rallying alongside Imogen Allison to create a huge amount of defensive pressure outside the circle, working hard to create turnovers before the ball reached the circle. With Manchester’s Carter putting on a show once more, it took hard work for the Bath outfit to push clean ball through to circle edge, with Drakeford-Lewis’ crafty movement and vision to Borger at the post proving crucial. Factor in the duo’s ability to position well, and the attacking workrate just did not let up. Malcolm’s ability to sight the loose ball proved crucial, as did her vision into the circle, finding her own side’s sharpshooters in Cardwell and Mvula with ease. Realistically, the consistency of the Thunder outfit could have won them the match, if it was not for a couple of uncharacteristic minutes in the final term which allowed player of the match Guthrie to snag vital intercepts and swing the momentum with just minutes on the clock.

Leeds Rhinos (51) defeated Wasps Netball (41)

It was a hard fought battle that was played out between the two sides, with the 10-goal scoreline not quite reflecting the seesawing contest. With just a goal the margin at both the half and final breaks, it took a game-breaking 18-9 final term for the Rhinos to escape the Wasps’ hunt, escaping their clutches by remaining clinical and patient under pressure. The defensive work rate from both sides was critical as neither side let up in a physical battle across the court, with even player matchups across the court testing both sides’ connections across the court.

An early advantage from the Rhinos almost could have seen the end of the match then and there, given the side’s ability to run away with the game, but the Wasps are not two-time champions for nothing, and proved their class to not only whittle down the margin, but take out the second quarter and go goal-for-goal in the third in the process, shutting down easy access to Rhinos’ Wallam at the post. But the combination between Dixon and Grierson proved influential in attack for the side, testing Catling, Huckle and Williams down back, whilst their own defensive last line in Oyesola and Keenan proved crucial once more. Wasps’ Allison made an appearance in goal attack once more alongside Dunn and appeared to settle the side well despite providing an extra flair, however the workrate of Rhinos’ wing defence Fi Toner and untimely cautions to Dunn and Huckle allowed the Rhinos to retain the upper hand and put them in a great position to challenge for a top four spot.

Picture credit: Morgan Harlow