THE opening weekend of Vitality Netball Superleague action was tantalising from the first look at the fixture, and the first five matches of the combined first and second rounds were no different as some massive encounters and scorelines set the tone for what is set to be a huge season. In our first VNSL wrap of the weekend, we take a look at Friday and Saturday’s matchups.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12

Leeds Rhinos (65) defeated Celtic Dragons (35)

Player of the Match: Jade Clarke (Leeds Rhinos)

The newest franchise to the competition frankly got off to the perfect start in the competition, as they completely outclassed the Dragons in a mammoth 30-goal victory. The ever-reliable Jade Clarke led from the front, whilst the defensive work-rate from back trio Vicki Oyesola, Paige Kindred and newest recruit Tuaine Keenan more than did the job relegating the Dragons to single digit scores in the first and third quarters. The comprehensive loss was further soured by injury to Dragons goaler Amy Clinton, whilst at the other end Donnell Wallam was a revelation out the front for the Rhinos with 49 goals to her name. Fellow Aussie Annika Lee-Jones was tasked with negating her influence early, but the tall timber was pushed forward to goal shooter alongside livewire Rebekah Robinson to inject some much-needed energy into the flailing Dragons once Clinton was forced to the sideline.

Manchester Thunder (53) defeated Strathclyde Sirens (35)

Player of the Match: Laura Malcolm (Manchester Thunder)

Thunder got their season off on the right track with a clean 17-goal victory over the Sirens, coming back from a slow start to overcome the Sirens in a clinical effort. The 20-goal to 10 final term was the real clincher, as the Thunder unit took a seven goal lead and ran away with it, using their experience to dispose of the hungry Sirens. Whilst an unshakeable Sirens frontline comprised of Lynsey Gallagher and Bethan Goodwin was hard to stop early, the speed and know-how from Thunder’s defence in Emma Dovey, Rebekah Airey and retiree Kerry Almond utilised their years of experience to reign supreme, aided by consistent performers Laura Malcolm and Caroline O’Hanlon driving through the centre. Unstoppable goalers Ellie Cardwell and Joyce Mvula continued where they left off last season, piling on the goals as the error-rate from the away side piled up.

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13

Surrey Storm (42) defeated London Pulse (40) 

Player of the Match: Sophie Kelly (Surrey Storm)

The first Saturday match of the round saw the closest encounter of the opening weekend, as Surrey Storm pipped Pulse at the post by two goals in the London derby. The tight seesawing encounter saw neither side give an inch throughout the exciting contest, and while things seemed to go off kilter in the opening minutes when Storm goaler Emma Magee suffered a leg injury forcing 16-year-old Sophie Kelly to the court, it seemed to be the drive the side needed to push for a huge evenly-matched battle with the Pulse who did not let up throughout the contest. With both sides flaunting their exciting depth and making changes aplenty, with new recruits Lefebre Rademan and Felisitus Kwangwa making their respective Superleague debuts, it was the consistency of tall timbers Sigi Burger and Karyn Bailey holding ground at either end that told the tale, competing well at the post. Youngster Kelly was the talk of the town though, making her Superleague debut and not looking the slightest bit phased as she piled on the offensive pressure.

Team Bath (61) defeated Celtic Dragons (29)

Player of the Match: Betsy Creak (Team Bath)

Team Bath were just too good against a tired-looking Dragons outfit in the penultimate match of Saturday’s proceedings. While the Welsh side put up a fight early, they just could not compete with the smothering defence from the blue and gold side which was well and truly bolstered by its returning stars, including Serena Guthrie and Eboni Usoro-Brown. The Dragons’ tired legs after their Round 1 match were evident by their unforced error rate, while a whopping 30-goal to 14 second half was the real kicker as Bath well and truly ran away with both the ball and all the momentum. While the combination of Sophie Drakeford-Lewis and Kim Borger was hard to stop as always, the improved Betsy Creak stole the show after half time. To the Dragons’ credit, they kept the Bath squad accountable early and certainly pushed them at times, with Lee-Jones collecting some solid intercepts and once again making the trip forward, and while head coach Tania Hoffman proved she was willing to test out combinations, it was not enough in this matchup.

Strathclyde Sirens (36) defeated Severn Stars (30)

Player of the Match: Taylor Cullen (Strathclyde Sirens)

The final match of the first half of the round saw another close battle between sides, as the Sirens overturned their Friday night loss in a low-scoring thriller against the Severn Stars. It was a composed effort from the Sirens that saw them reign supreme, with consistency playing a huge role as the Stars rung in the changes at half time. Midcourter Taylor Cullen proved she was more than up to the task against the likes of Lucy Harris and Liana Leota, while at the other end it was the efforts of Towera Vinkhumbo and Emily Nicholl that inhibited the ball finding the clean hands of Stars goalers Georgia Rowe and Paige Reed. The reliable combination of Goodwin and Gallagher continued to pay dividends, and while the hustle in defence from the Stars was impressive it was not enough against the fired up Sirens outfit which was looking to come back from its slow start on Friday.