ROUND 12 of the Vitality Netball Superleague is shaping up to be a big one, with a number of ladder changing matches set to take place over the weekend. The matchup between Loughborough Lightning and Saracens Mavericks is sure to be the one to watch while the top four is in such tight contention, while another tight match will see Team Bath in fourth take on Surrey Storm in sixth.

Opening Round 12 on Saturday at 4pm will see Celtic Dragons host the Severn Stars in their fight to keep their improved season on the rise. Hosted at Sports Wales National Centre, the Dragons will want to back up their Round 11 win over London Pulse and hope to jump up the leaderboard ahead of Surrey Storm in sixth. Meanwhile, the Severn Stars put up a tough fight against Loughborough Lightning last week, so if there’s any week when they’ll have the confidence to push over a higher team on the ladder, this will be it. Last time they met saw the Stars come out on top by a convincing 17 points, so this will also help in their fight for their elusive fourth win. The Dragons had issues with shooting accuracy back in Round 3, and the Stars’ defensive unit of Jodi-Ann Ward and Sam Cook has only gotten stronger in recent weeks, so are sure to make life under the ring hard for the Dragons. That being said, the performance by Dragons goal shooter, Chelsea Ellis in Round 11 (40 shots from 44 attempts at 91 per cent) saw the Dragons shoot 36 goals in the second half, so the side should be feeling more confident putting ball to post.

The battle for the top four will continue on Saturday evening as the Loughborough Lightning host Saracens Mavericks at Sir David Wallace Arena at 6pm. The Lightning are only sitting out of the top four on percentage after Round 11, so a win against the Mavericks is key for their finals chances. Both sides were challenged last week before managing their respective wins, but small margins prove the closeness of the competition even at this point of the season. Last time they met saw the Mavericks win comfortably, with a 13 point win relegating the Lightning to ninth on the ladder. This match will be an almost distant memory to the Lightning by now, after overcoming an average start to the season to be real contenders by this point in the season. The matchup to watch will be between Mary Cholhok and Razia Quashie, with the circle players both electric under the ring, with Cholhok’s height (6ft 7in) and Quashie’s dynamic leap signature parts of their gameplay.

Sunday’s only match will see Wasps Netball host London Pulse at 4pm at Ricoh Arena in a game that the Wasps will want to take advantage of to move back up to the top of the leaderboard. It has been a frustrating few weeks for the Wasps, who sat comfortable at the top of the ladder for the first half of the season before being hit with three losses since Round 8. Pulse are still yet to win more than one match, making this the perfect opportunity for the Wasps to capitalise and boost their percentage. The Pulse have showed some good improvement so far this season but have been outplayed in matches where a four quarter effort is critical, so will need to ensure they hold strong against the forcefulness of the Wasps’ attack. If Pulse can make ball movement in the goal circle difficult for Wasps shooters, Rachel Dunn and Katie Harris they will boost their chances to capitalise on errors.

Monday night will see two matches take off at 7:30pm, with the Strathclyde Sirens hosting the Manchester Thunder at Emirate Arena in a game that sees two vastly mirrored sides take the other on. The Sirens have only won two games for the season while the Thunder have won all games but two, making it a match that is more likely to be a buffer and percentage booster for the Thunder than an opportunity for the Sirens to get another win on the board. That being said, the Sirens gave Team Bath a run for their money last round, sitting two goals up at half time before their second half let them down. The confidence to stay in the game for that period of time will certainly be something the Sirens pull from this week to take on the ladder leaders. Defensively the Thunder are one of the best sides in the competition, with the unstoppable pairing of Kerry Almond and Emma Dovey at the helm, so the Sirens will have to be at their best and put up all of their shots to be in with a chance to beat the Thunder at the peak of their season. Last time they met saw the Thunder come away with one of their biggest wins for the season so far with a 25 point margin, so the Sirens will want to steer clear of that match and come in with a fresh mindset this time around.

The final match of Round 12 will see an intriguing matchup between Surrey Storm in sixth and Team Bath in fourth at Surrey Sports Park. Last time they met saw Bath lose by six goals in an upset win by the Storm, so the home side of Storm will want to take advantage of their home court advantage to come out on top again this week and see their position at the middle of the ladder stay stable. The Storm will be feeling more confident coming into this match after the Sirens pushed Bath until the final minutes last week, so Bath will have to pull out all the shots to ensure they stay in the top four at the end of Round 12. Bath played two games in the past week, so if the Sirens take advantage of their match tiredness they may be able to capitalise off Bath’s errors. Bath are another side that has a strong defensive game style, with the likes of Imogen Allison and Serena Guthrie rotating through wing defence, so if the Sirens can force their way through the defensive barrier into the ring, they have a really good opportunity to come out on top.