IT was a great opening two days of action in the Vitality Netball Superleague, with Loughborough Lightning kick-starting their title defence in the opening match, whilst Manchester Thunder and Saracens Mavericks became the only two sides to record back-to-back wins over the opening weekend.

Loughborough Lightning kick-started their premiership defence with an 11-goal win over worthy challengers, London Pulse. It was a hot game from the get-go with the Lightning on top in the opening half, building a 14-11 quarter time lead, before extending that out to double-digits at the half. The second half was far closer, and though the Pulse only conceded one more goal than they scored, they still went down, 61-50.

Beth Cobden was sensational in wing defence, picking up four intercepts to equal that of teammate Alice Harvey. Fran Williams was strong for her new side, covering the court well and picking up an intercept and a deflection. Up the other end of the court, Mary Cholhok piled on 51 goals.

Pulse welcomed two new Vixens to the mix, with Tayla Honey lively in wing attack, whilst Sacha McDonald (one goal) replaced Kira Rothwell (seven goals) at goal attack. Funmi Fadoju was eye-catching in goalkeeper with five defensive rebounds, two intercepts and two deflections, teaming up well with Jasmin Odeogberin (three intercepts, three deflections).

Anticipated to be arguably the closes match of the round, Team Bath made the most of their opportunities with a 14-goal victory over Strathclyde Sirens. Bath won every quarter, with an 11-goal difference between the sides in the middle two terms to build a large lead that they capped off with an overall 54-40 win. Strathclyde will likely rue the missed opportunities, shooting at just 70 per cent efficiency compared to Bath’s 87 per cent. Bath also had nine more rebounds (12-3) though the blue and gold were far from clinical with eight more unforced errors (14-6) giving them areas to work on for next match.

The Bath defence was superb with Layla Guscoth and Tash Pavelin picking up a combined seven defensive rebounds and seven intercepts and 16 turnovers, whilst new captain Imogen Allison covered the court brilliantly. Up front, Kim Borger (29 goals) and Sophie Drakeford-Lewis (15) both remained active picking up intercepts, whilst Betsy Creak (10 goals) also got her chance.

The Sirens were without Emma Barrie in the clash meaning Bethan Goodwin (17 goals) was the one to team up with Niamh McCall (20 goals). Taylor McKevitt was really strong in wing defence for the Scottish side, picking up four intercepts and three deflections as Claire Maxwell made her return to the court after missing 2021. Towera Vinkhumbo (two intercepts) was strong in defence as was to be expected, but it was not enough for the Sirens to get up.

Manchester Thunder showed no mercy against last year’s wooden spooners Celtic Dragons, with the reigning grand finalists brushing them aside to win by 26 goals. Though the Dragons were more accurate when putting shots up (91.3 to 87.8 per cent), the Thunder just controlled possession and forced deflections.

The Thunder shooting combination of international talents Joyce Mvula (39 goals) and Eleanor Cardwell (37) only looked to have got stronger with the latter winning Player of the Match, whilst Kerry Almond (two defensive rebounds, two intercepts and two deflections) was rock solid. The Thunder gave their younger players plenty of court time in the win, with the likes of Yasmin Roebuck and Emma Rayner coming on at the various wing roles, whilst Laura Malcolm rotated between centre and wing defence, with success. Manchester opted not to use Natalie Metcalf for this match, meaning the international Roses star will wait another game for her return.

The new-look Dragons attack seemed to provide good accuracy with Georgia Rowe (34 goals) and Lefébre Rademan (17), though it broke down through the midcourt just finding those connections through the shooters. Shaquanda Greene picked up a caution in goal keeper, but played well overall, with a rebound, five intercepts and three deflections in the match, Nia Jones was also hard working in wing defence to be one of the Dragons better players.

Saracens Mavericks proved too strong in the third term when it counted, shaking off a determined Wasps Netball side by nine goals. The Mavericks lead by four goals at quarter time, but that was cut to two at the main break as the Wasps hit back. It was the third quarter where all the damage was done, with the Mavericks piling on 20 goals to 11. Whilst the Wasps managed to regain ascendancy to again win the fourth term like they did the second, it was no good, with the Mavericks getting up by that second quarter difference – nine – 58-49.

The Mavericks welcomed South African shooter Ine-Mari Venter into the fold and she did not let them down, piling on 42 goals on her club debut, also picking up three offensive rebounds. Beside her, Kadeen Corbin won Player of the Match for her versatility across the circle and up the court, shooting nine goals, and grabbing three offensive rebounds. Up the other end, Jodie Gibson (three intercepts and two deflections) and Razia Quashie (one intercept and three deflections) looked strong.

Despite the loss, Wasps shot with deadly precision, with 49 of their 51 attempts going in. They managed to rotate Rachel Dunn (19 goals) between both goal shooter and goal attack, with Gezelle Allison (20 goals) earning the starting shooter spot, and Lucy Parize (10 goals) coming on at goal attack. Josie Huckle was tight in defence with three turnovers and four deflections, two intercepts and a rebound, with Iona Christian lively in wing attack for the Wasps.

Severn Stars began their 2022 VNSL campaign off on the right note with a strong second half to win in the equal-tightest match of the day against Surrey Storm. Leading by just two goals at quarter time (25-23), the Stars powered away after the main break to score 31 goals to 24 and build the nine-goal win, 56-47. Though the Storm were still within touch at the final break – just five goals down – an 18 goals to 14 final term sealed the deal for the Stars.

Paige Reed won Player of the Match for her 26 goals, whilst Issy Eaton (24) shared the load perfectly. Lucy Herdman teamed up well with Summer Artman in the Stars’ defensive goal circle, whilst Elisha New was lively when coming onto centre with Liana Leota impressive in wing attack as well.

Peace Proscovia made an outstanding return to the VNSL in her new colours, shooting 35 goals at 92.1 per cent efficiency. The midcourt of Yasmin Parsons (15 feeds and two intercepts) and Mikki Austin (nine feeds) did well to find her, whilst Alima Priest recorded an impressive six deflections, three rebounds and one intercept in the loss.

ROUND 2

Unfortunately the first match of the day had to be postponed due to the Leeds Rhinos having fewer than 10 players (from their 18 available) to allow the match to go ahead. A combination of COVID-19 cases, illness and injury was deemed the cause of the postponement, with the rescheduled date to be announced the near future.

Strathclyde Sirens bounced back from their Round 1 defeat to post a six-goal win over Wasps in what became the opening match of day two. In what was a tight first half, the Wasps actually held the balance of power, taking a four-goal lead into the main break, 25-21. The Sirens came out firing in the second half, pouring on 14 goals to six in the third term to grab a four-goal lead at the final break, and then add to that in the final term with another two goals on the board to win, 50-44.

Niamh McCall was strong with 30 goals and a rebound out of goal attack showcasing her versatility and ability to shoot from range, whilst Bethan Goodwin converted 20 of 27 from the goal shooter bib. Taylor McKevitt had an outstanding game from wing defence, picking up a couple of crucial intercepts and remaining active across the court. Gia Abernethy lead the team superbly in the middle third, whilst goal keeper Towera Vinkhumbo picked up a massive six intercepts and a rebound in the win.

For the Wasps, Rachel Dunn (25 of 27) and Lucy Parize (16 of 18) both combined in the goal circle with impressive accuracy, whilst Ella Powell-Davies and Josie Huckle had a combined six intercepts, six deflections and five rebounds.

An elated London Pulse survived a third quarter scare against Team Bath to notch up their first win of the 2022 VNSL season. The Pulse got on top in the first half coming off a loss on day one against an in-from Bath outfit. London scored 29 goals to 23 in the opening half, before Bath hit back with a 13-9 term to cut the deficit to just two at the final break. The last quarter went the way of the Pulse, scoring 14-12 and securing the win in a nail-biting encounter, 52-48.

Funmi Fadoju was rock solid in goal keeper with six intercepts, 11 deflections and a rebound to be named Player of the Match. Jasmin Odeogberin (three deflections, one intercept), Zara Everitt (three and three) and Jayda Pechova (two and three) all stepped up in the defensive third. Up the other end, Olivia Tchine nailed 42 goals from 47 attempts.

For Team Bath, Betsy Creak had more of a say in goal shooter for the second game, scoring an equal team-high 18 goals alongside Sophie Drakeford-Lewis. Layla Guscoth was phenomenal in the defensive goal circle with eight intercepts and nine deflections, whilst Jessica Shaw had two intercepts and 11 feeds through the midcourt.

Backing up her Round 1 performance, Ine-Mari Venter has helped lead Saracens Mavericks to a seven-goal victory over Celtic Dragons. The Mavericks held a narrow lead at quarter time, but last year’s wooden spooners shocked them in the second term, piling on 17 goals to 13 to lead by three goals at the main break. Steadying in the third term, the Mavericks had an even more impressive quarter of 18-11, then capped off the game with a 15-12 final term to win 61-54.

Venter was the star of the show for the winners, with the South African goal shooter scoring 55 goals from 58 attempts, and picking up five rebounds and an intercept in the process. Sasha Corbin was busy in midcourt with 17 feeds and an intercept, whilst Jameela McCarthy pulled down five defensive rebounds up the defensive end of the court.

Georgia Rowe was strong in the Dragons’ shooting circle with 38 of 46, whilst Lefébre Rademan (16 of 18) was also handy. Shaquanda Greene (four deflections and two intercepts) the pick of the defenders, whilst Nia Jones copped a suspension during the game.

Manchester Thunder continued its dominant start to the season by putting away Severn Stars to the tune of 25 goals. Racing out of the blocks to lead by nine goals at quarter time, that lead grew to 19 by the main break. They added to that in each of the last two quarters, though the game was ultimately tighter, and the Thunder enjoyed a comfortable 70-45 win.

Millie Sanders earned Player of the Match for her work picking up six turnovers, four defensive rebounds, two intercepts and two deflections. The entire Thunder outfit stood tall, with Kerry Almond (five deflections, two turnovers and one rebound) also strong, whilst up the other end, Joyce Mvula (43 goals from 49 attempts and four rebounds) and Eleanor Cardwell (20 goals from 22 attempts and two rebounds) were both efficient.

For the Stars, Katie Harris scored 19 goals from 22 attempts, as well as two rebounds and three deflections in a strong performance. Paige Reed (11 goals, 10 feeds) had another good game, whilst Liana Leota had a team-high 12 feeds in what was ultimately a disappointing performance for the Stars.