ROUND 6 of the Vitality Netball Superleague has effectively opened up the competition, with positions two through to five changing on a weekly basis as teams to continue to surprise on court. Meanwhile, Wasps Netball still sit comfortably at the top of the table, undefeated winning five from five. Lightning proved they are a much better team than recent score-lines and their current ladder standing may suggest, while Surrey Storm have jumped back up the ladder after two successful wins on the trot. Meanwhile, ladder movement in the bottom half of the ladder shows there is still plenty more surprises to come in 2019.

The round opened with a shock win from Loughborough Lightning against highly ranked Manchester Thunder on Friday evening. Thunder have been performing well in 2019 thus far, but Lightning were just too strong against the home side, taking home a 60 – 65 win. The Lightning starred in the second half after being relatively even at half time, only two points behind the quick and nimble Thunder side. However, Lightning came out with confidence in the third, shooting 18 goals to 13 to take the lead ahead of the final quarter, maintaining composure to take home the winning points. Shooter, Mary Cholhok was dynamic for Lightning, looking dangerous every time she received the ball in the circle. Meanwhile, midcourter, Natalie Panagarry had a sensational second half around the circle edge, seeming to have the ball on a string, while defenders, Vicki Oyesola and Tuaine Keenan put in the hard yards against an increasingly pushy Thunder attack. Joyce Mvula was dominant in the circle for Thunder, proving her necessity under the ring with strong hands and precision at the post, while Emma Dovey and Rebekah Airey worked well in defence despite Lightning’s second half attacking barrage.

Saturday’s matches opened with Severn Stars hosting confident Round 5 winners, Surrey Storm, with the Storm boosting their standing with a nine-goal victory (46 – 55). Storm came out firing in the first, shooting 17 goals to 13 to open the match and show what was to come in the game ahead. Storm were consistent, taking advantage of the Stars’ errors and capitalising on opportunities in front of goal. Stars goal shooter, Georgia Rowe was effective throughout the match, netting 28 goals for her side, while defenders, Sam Cook, Halimat Adio and Jodi-Ann Ward (sidelined by injury midway), worked efficiently to produce turnovers and create goaling opportunities. Storm shooters, Rhea Dixon and Sigi Burger battled hard under the ring against the Stars’ constant defensive attempts. Burger’s fellow South African, Shadine Van Der Merwe wreaked havoc through the midcourt and Lorraine Kowalewska pushed hard in the goal third to disrupt the Stars’ attempts at a smooth movement to goal.

Fourth-ranked Saracens Mavericks proved their position on the ladder on Saturday night, beating a struggling Team Bath side 68 – 45. Team Bath will be disappointed in their performance over the weekend, as consistency seems to evade the side with a number of big wins and big losses to their name in 2019. Bath certainly had more downs than ups in this matchup, missing co-captains and England Roses representatives, Serena Guthrie and Eboni Usoro-Brown ahead of the match through illness and injury. Meanwhile, the Mavericks were efficient from the opening whistle, shooting the first goal in what would be a dominant performance, keeping Bath to only ten goals in the first term and nine in the third. Team Bath were forced into making uncharacteristic errors across the court struggling against the pressure of the Mavericks. Despite issues throughout the court causing changes all round, Bath’s Imogen Allison was impressive through the midcourt, showing her force and learnings in Guthrie’s absence, while Kim Commane held strong under the ring. Mavericks goal keeper, Razia Quashie proved once again to be a standout, pleasing the home crowd with a dominant and exciting display in defence, while Michelle Drayne and Georgia Lees dominated in the centre third, with Lees taking the court on her 25th birthday. With a strong lead and not long to go in the final quarter, Australian, Karyn Bailey took the court for the first time in 2019, bumping starting shooter George Fisher into her lesser played position of goal attack after a dominant performance throughout the match, with a final tally of 48/53 at 91 per cent – beating Bath on her contribution alone.

Celtic Dragons put Wasps Netball through their paces on Monday night, only going down by 12 points to the current scoreboard leaders. Despite a goal-for-goal first term, the Dragons were down by six at half time. Hope was not lost, with a potential second half comeback to look forward to, however the Wasps’ skills cannot be faulted, with a 17-goal third quarter backing up their dominant second quarter to win the match. The Dragons came out hard in the final term to try and reel back the margin, once again matching the Wasps at 12 goals apiece for the third term, however could not jump ahead of the top side. Dragons defenders, Stacian Facey and Dee Bolakoro were resilient, continually working to make the shooting circle difficult for star Wasps shooters, Rachel Dunn and Katie Harris, who combined well once more and shared the load in the ring, proving why the Wasps have been so deadly in 2019. Meanwhile, Dragons wing defence Nia Jones put in the hard yards to stop the Wasps’ flow through the midcourt as her opposition wing attack, Bongi Msomi, was influential at circle’s edge. Wasps defender, Fran Williams, put on the pressure with some dominant deflections, while Sophia Candappa came on in the second half to help click her side into gear.

The final match of Round 6 was between the two bottom sides of the league, London Pulse and Strathclyde Sirens. Both sides have been struggling to get wins on the board, but Sirens managed to pip Pulse at the post for their first outing with an impressive six-point victory (54 – 60). Through an even first half, with a half-time score of 28 apiece, both sides battled for dominance before the Sirens managed to pull away, shooting 32 to 26 in the second half for a well deserved win. In a battle of the midcourt, Pulse goal shooter Shantal Slater was a significant target under the ring, though Sirens defenders, Emily Nicholl and Ella Gibbons certainly put her through her paces in the circle. Pulse’s Kira Rothwell and Brie Grierson shared the load of goal attack throughout the tight match, playing half a game each and seamlessly pairing with Slater. Defenders, Jas Odeogberin and Loreen Ngwira were effective throughout the game but were ultimately unable to carry their side to a win against a prolific performance from goal shooter, Cat Tuivaiti and midcourter Gia Abernethy as they took advantage of Pulse’s every error.