A BIG weekend of Vitality Netball Superleague action has seen the end of Rounds 15 and 16, with all ten teams playing twice over the course of the VNSL Big Easter Weekend round robin. The competition now comes into the final stretch with only two rounds left of the home and away season, while Wasps Netball have regained top spot on the ladder for the first time in a number of weeks, also securing a semi-final spot after two dominant wins on the weekend.

Saturday saw some big results, with only one game resolved by a margin less than 10 goals. Both Manchester Thunder and Wasps Netball continued to assert their dominance over the competition, scoring over 70 goals against their respective opposition in London Pulse and Surrey Storm. Saracens Mavericks had a tight win over Celtic Dragons, while Team Bath and Loughborough Lightning skated to easy wins.

Sunday’s fixture saw multiple high-stakes matches play out, with big performances from Loughborough Lightning, Saracens Mavericks and Severn Stars. A win over Team Bath gives the Mavericks another week to make their claim on the competition and get back into the top four, while the Wasps sit comfortably at the top of the ladder after Manchester Thunder’s loss to the Lightning pushed them down to second place.

Round 15: Saturday 20 April

Sirens vs Lightning 44 – 59
Pulse vs Thunder 42 – 71
Wasps vs Storm 76 – 42
Stars vs Bath 42 – 53
Mavericks vs Dragons 55 – 50

Strathclyde Sirens put in the hard yards against Loughborough Lightning, however a sloppy second half saw the side drop their thirteenth game as the Lightning continue their push for finals. A 22 to 32 goal second half gave the Lightning a buffer, beating the Sirens by 15 goals. Some superb shooting credit to smooth mover, Ella Clark directed the Lightning to the win, taking her chances on the edge of the circle on multiple occasions and putting Sirens defenders at a loss to compete with her versatility in the circle. Clark also put in a better effort to create opportunities in the circle for goal shooter, Mary Cholhok, who has struggled at the post in recent weeks with defenders tagging her out of matches. The likes of Nat Panagarry put on a show through the midcourt, while Zara Everitt, Vicki Oyesola and Tuaine Keenan did their best to disrupt the flow through Sirens’ attack against young Sirens shooter, Emma Barrie. Barrie put on a show at the post, proving her necessity in the circle as she rotated seamlessly with the likes of Lynsey Gallagher, who put her consistency to the test against the Lightning’s strong defensive unit. In a strategic move, Lightning substituted significant players in the final quarter to allow extra resting time ahead of their Sunday match against high flyers, Manchester Thunder.

A blowout match between London Pulse and Manchester Thunder saw the Thunder come away with a 29 point win, taking control from the get-go and not letting up against the struggling Pulse. The Thunder put their consistency on show, shooting evenly across the match and skilfully outplaying the Pulse with their smooth movement across the court. Wasps Netball showed Surrey Storm who was boss in their second match-up for the season, handing the Storm a 34 goal defeat courtesy of a phenomenal first and final quarter scores. The Storm have shown great improvement throughout the season, but could not compete with the Wasps at full strength on the cusp of finals. Next up saw Severn Stars take on Team Bath, with Bath getting an 11 goal win despite a second half comeback from the Stars. The Stars put on another good performance showing their steady improvement throughout the season, but will be disappointed in the loss given they came out on top in their Round 4 meeting. Injury to Bath wing attack, Rachel Shaw dealt a big blow in this match-up, with Shaw unable to take part in Sunday’s Round 16 blockbuster against the Mavericks. Saracens Mavericks had a close shave against Celtic Dragons to finish day one of the Big Easter Weekend. The Dragons only went down by five points after a relatively even match saw them keep the Mavericks on their toes.

Round 16: Sunday 21 April

Wasps vs Dragons 64 – 48
Sirens vs Pulse 47 – 44
Storm vs Stars 46 – 51
Lightning vs Thunder 60 – 57
Bath vs Mavericks 45 – 51

Opening Round 16 was an interesting match between Wasps Netball and Celtic Dragons, with the Dragons once again putting in a strong effort but going down by 16 points for their second loss in as many days. This win secured the Wasps the first of four semi-final positions up for grabs, rounding off their excellent Easter weekend form with a win in the physical contest. Jade Clarke was dominant in the midcourt for the Wasps, while the likes of Fran Williams – named Player of the Match – and Bongi Msomi also threw themselves into the contest to get any opportunity at the ball. It was a physical battle forward for the Wasps, with Rachel Dunn and Katie Harris struggling to make space in the circle with the likes of Stacian Facey and Dee Bolakoro confusing the space and wreaking havoc on feeders into the circle.

Next up saw a battle between the two bottom sides, with Strathclyde Sirens managing their third win for the season and first at home with a three goal win over London Pulse, after a tough second half almost granted the Pulse a chance at victory. It was the Sirens’ stellar first half that set up the win, with an 18 goal to six second quarter giving them the upper hand. To Pulse’s credit they stayed in the game, piling on the pressure and reducing the Sirens to only 16 goals in the second half. In yet another potentially ladder-changing match for the round, Surrey Storm took on Severn Stars in a battle for the middle of the ladder. It was a very even match, with both sides putting in consistent performances on the day, however it was the Stars’ composure that saw them take home the win as they clinically kept ahead of the Storm at every turn. In possibly the biggest game of the round, the rematch between Loughborough Lightning and Manchester Thunder proved to be as tight a game as the hype it received. Last time they met saw the Lightning deal Thunder their first loss of the season, and did not seem to skip a beat as they once again tipped the dominant side on their way to a three goal win. Both sides put their respective strengths to the test, but it was the Lightning’s clinical attitude to the match that saw them come out on top as the Thunder lost momentum in the final quarter, despite leading at all changes. This loss means the Thunder have been knocked out of top spot, pushed into second as the Wasps continue their good form.

The final match of the VNSL Big Easter Weekend saw Team Bath take on Saracens Mavericks in a do-or-die match for the Mavericks, with a loss bumping them out of finals contention. The Mavericks came out with a six goal win, with a 16 goal final quarter haul cementing victory after a relatively even match. Both goalkeepers – Bath’s Summer Artman and Mavericks’ Razia Quashie – came out firing early, starting hard and fast and setting up for an exceptional defensive display. Both sides had issues early, shooting well at the post but struggling to put the ball into the circle given the extensive circle defence from both sides. Bath’s speed through the midcourt was phenomenal credit to Serena Guthrie putting on a show, but defensive efforts seemed futile while Quashie and partner in crime, Jo Trip were giving their all to deliver the ball back forward. Pivotal in delivering the ball through the midcourt was Michelle Drayne, who was awarded Player of the Match honours credit to her ability to create constant pressure. Guthrie was well contained on multiple occasions by Sasha Corbin, who proved to be a dominant force across the court especially when connecting with sister and goal attack, Kadeen Corbin. The likes of Corbin also placed the ball well in the circle, getting it into the hands of George Fisher despite the extensive defensive pressure courtesy of Artman and Eboni Usoro-Brown. The Mavericks struggled at the centre pass credit to Guthrie and Imogen Allison putting in the hard yards to put a stop to the ball in attack, but despite the ball flying every which way and some contentious umpiring decisions, the Mavericks held strong through the chaos for a well deserved win, and one that will prove momentous with the end of the season looming.