THE penultimate round of the Vitality Netball Superleague (VNSL) is done and dusted, with a big win for Team Bath over Manchester Thunder meaning three of the top four teams are sat on the same percentage, with Saracens Mavericks in fifth needing a win in the final round to guarantee a finals spot. London Pulse gave Loughborough Lightning a shock with a second half push, while the Celtic Dragons put their form to the test with a seven goal win over Surrey Storm.

Game one of Round 17 saw Strathclyde Sirens take on finals favourites, Wasps Netball, putting in a consistent effort but going down by 15 goals 41 – 56. Defensively both sides put on a show, with the Sirens keeping the Wasps to only 11 goals in the first and sticking close by half time, before the Wasps reduced the home side to 20 goals in the second half. Despite the loss, the Sirens put in the hard yards against the continued dominance of Rachel Dunn and Katie Harris in the circle, while a more solid full-court effort from the Sirens saw their improvement this season take centre stage, not only reducing the margin but also denying the same volume of shots as their Round 8 matchup. Youngster, Emma Barrie once again put up a good performance for the Sirens, putting herself in good stead for her future in the VNSL as her side refused to give up.

Next up saw the Celtic Dragons get their sixth win for the season against Surrey Storm (58 – 51). The final Dragons home game for the season saw the crowd rally for the likes of retiree, Kyra Jones who got the opportunity to have one more win in front of a home crowd before the season ends. It was a big push for the Dragons given Storm’s strength over the past few weeks, proving once again that no team is safe this season, with any team able to beat their opposition on the day. Despite a stronger defensive effort from the Storm in the final quarter reducing the margin to seven, the Dragons held strong to get the win credit to the defensive efforts of Stacian Facey and Dee Bolakoro, whose connection has improved tenfold since the beginning of the season. Sigi Burger put in the hard yards in the circle, however couldn’t compete with the athleticism and aerial ability of her defenders to carry a win for her side. With the likes of Chelsea Lewis on fire at the post, the Dragons looked confident and composed as they controlled the match.

London Pulse put Loughborough Lightning under the pump this round, racing out of the gates to a three goal lead at quarter time, before a 22 goal push from the Lightning saw the Pulse struggle to compete in the second term. A strong second half saw the Pulse put the pressure back on, shooting 31 goals compared with the Lightning’s 30, however the damage was already done as the Lightning took home a five goal win (62 – 67). Despite not getting the win this round, the Pulse are likely to be happy with this margin, especially given it could be the percentage difference needed for the Lightning to make finals if they don’t get a win next week. Pulse have taken their game up a notch in the second half of the season, proving they have the ability to push teams to the final whistle. A great defensive effort was put up by the likes of captain, Ama Agbeze who has injected some much-needed experience and excitement on and off the ball through defence for the Pulse, while also holding the likes of Mary Cholhok well at the post. The Lightning will need to put up a stronger performance in Round 18 to ensure they make finals.

A big win by the Saracens Mavericks over an in-form Severn Stars outfit (62 – 48) gives the Mavericks one more week to make finals, relying on a big win in Round 18 and at least one loss in the top four next round to guarantee a finals berth. Despite a good start by the Stars, a 19 goal second term from the Mavericks gave the side a five goal buffer at half time, before a final quarter defensive effort kept the Stars at only seven goals in the last quarter, all but giving the Mavericks a 14 goal victory to keep them in the race for finals. A strong effort from Jo Trip kept the Mavericks ahead of the Stars at every turn as possession and accuracy seemed to be no issue for the home side, with the likes of George Fisher at 100 per cent by half time, while Kadeen Corbin and Karyn Bailey took their turns at the post to further their lead. Stars’ shooter, Georgia Rowe had the height advantage in the circle, however the footwork defensively from the Mavericks meant she had limited ball, creating further issues in attack for the away side.

The experience of Serena Guthrie and Eboni Usoro-Brown gave Team Bath a big push in the final match of the round to get a second win against Manchester Thunder this season, beating Thunder by three goals (53 – 56) in an absolute nailbiter of a match. It was a strong first half from Bath that put Thunder under the pump, with a 15 goal to eight second quarter to Bath giving the away side the momentum as they cut off options into the goal circle and forced turnovers at every opportunity. A completely equal 29 goal second half saw both sides battle for the upper hand, with both sides turning it on in the goal circle to keep the ball in contention. Summer Artman paired well with Usoro-Brown once again, proving that Bath have the ability to go all the way with another close finish, holding onto the lead and creating turnovers when it counted. The Thunder will want to bounce back in the final round, also in dire need of a win to cement a finals position, so the likes of Kerry Almond and Emma Dovey will need to be at their strongest next round.