WITH Round 1 of the 2020 Netball Superleague done and dusted, we take a look at some of the biggest stats of a massive opening round of action.

Only one match went without umpire intervention in the opening round, with the weekend marred by a whopping 12 cautions and three warnings dished out across Saturday’s season opener. While cautions can be awarded to a player for any number of things, from talking back to an umpire to intimidation over a goaling attempt, it’s the three warnings that teams will need to heed going into round two, with winning side London Pulse collecting two of the three warnings. 

While disciplinary action from officiators can change from game to game and umpire to umpire, sides will need to watch themselves with defenders under the spotlight in a number of games this week. Pulse’s Halimat Adio collected 18 penalties and a warning for her defensive effort on Saturday, and fellow defender Lindsay Keable joined her on the warning list with 12 penalties. Manchester Thunder’s Loreen Ngwira got 22 penalties and four intercepts to her name in Round 1 along with a caution, while Severn Stars newbie Towera Vinkhumbo had similar stats with four intercepts and 10 less penalties but collected a warning in her first Superleague outing. England Roses defender Fran Williams had a tough time in the Wasps’ loss to Thunder, collecting eight gains but 15 penalties. 

While it is still only Round 1, after a miserable 2019 season the London Pulse may want to clean up their act to ensure they win games based on merit more so than their physicality especially when they come up against stronger competitors. Their opposition in Strathclyde Sirens were significantly cleaner with 52 penalties and along with Wasps Netball, Team Bath and Loughborough Lightning, received comparatively little umpire attention. Team Bath gets the bragging rights this round with only 24 penalties across the court this round, while two winning sides in Surrey Storm (62 penalties) and Pulse (61 penalties) topped the list with an average penalty count of 47 in Round 1.

In other stats this round, Team Bath’s Kim Commane (55 goals at 95 per cent accuracy), Mavericks’ George Fisher (51 goals at 93 per cent) and Lightning’s Mary Cholhok (48 goals at 92 per cent) led the charge on the goaling front, with the former two running away victors. Pulse goal shooter Sigi Burger also impressed for her new side, shooting 44 goals at 100 per cent accuracy. A few players put on a defensive clinic, with Razia Quashie collecting seven intercepts (but nine turnovers and a caution) while Latanya Wilson impressed in her first outing for the Celtic Dragons with 10 intercepts, though also threw plenty of ball away in the loss with 14 turnovers, the most of any team in Round 1.