ROUND 7 of the Sunday Vitality Netball Superleague (VNSL) clashes has brought a mixed bag of results as the Saracens Mavericks played out a thriller while the contest between Wasps and Strathclyde Sirens left no stone unturned playing out the second draw of the season. Manchester Thunder managed to find their way back onto the winner’s list while Team Bath never left it, securing their sixth straight win.

Manchester Thunder (69) defeated Celtic Dragons (33)

Player of the match: Joyce Mvula (Manchester Thunder)

After struggling to get their signature game style up and running, Manchester Thunder found their groove in their clash against Celtic Dragons with a thumping 36-goal romping. The Thunder needed a big win to not only get back in the winning books but restore some belief and confidence throughout the side, and that is exactly what they did. Only holding a narrow three-goal lead at quarter time, the Thunder steadily added to their total – especially in the second quarter where they went on a goal scoring spree thanks to their 19 goals to four. Their pressure was immense, suffocating the Dragons at every turn and forcing them into multiple errors to secure a much needed win.

There is no denying that Joyce Mvula had the ball on a string under the post with a game-high 47 goals at 96 per cent. Her skill inside the goal circle was unmatched with Abigail Tyrrell unable to quell the influence of the star goal shooter. Mvula was well supported from the likes of Eleanor Cardwell out in goal attack (19 goals) while the midcourt partnership of Caroline O’Hanlon and Laura Malcolm was back to its dominant best as the duo zipped around the court and caused all sorts of havoc inside the attacking third for the Thunder. Amy Clinton and Rebekah Robinson tried gallantly in attack for the Dragons but were simply plagued by a lack of supply as Clinton nailed 21 goals and Robinson managed 12. Their lack of opportunity came through the Thunder’s immense defensive pressure as Rebekah Airey and Kerry Almond combined to reduce any easy ball movement. Airey collected four intercepts such was her presence while Almond notched up three deflections.

Saracens Mavericks (39) defeated London Pulse (32)

Player of the match: Kadeen Corbin (Saracens Mavericks)

The contest between the Mavericks and Pulse was a real arm-wrestle with neither side able to get a lot of scoreboard separation, but in the end it was the experience and class of the Mavs that shone through with the side producing a narrow seven-goal win. Scoring was hard to come by for both sides as the Mavericks failed to register double digits in the third and fourth term while Pulse’s highest scoring quarter was the third with 11 goals. It was a game dictated by heavy defensive pressure while it was also littered with a number of unforced turnovers from both sides.

Still familiarising themselves with their connections in the goal circle, the partnership between Ine-Mari Venter and Kadeen Corbin started to take shape in this clash. Venter led the charge with 24 goals, spearheading the attacking unit for the Mavs while Corbin slotted 15 goals back in goal shooter. The defensive efforts stemming from Razia Quashie and Jo Trip proved to be the difference in the game as they limited the opportunities to both Sigi Burger and Kira Rothwell. Burger was down on her usual output with 18 goals to her name while Rothwell managed 14 but only sat at 82 per cent in comparison to her usual accuracy. Gabriella Marshall controlled proceedings through the midcourt linking up with Georgia Lees and Jodie Gibson to keep the Pulse midcourt on their toes and constantly guessing. Funmi Fadoju had a game to remember with five deflections as Zara Everitt plied her trade in goal keeper but could not quell the Mavs shooters.

Surrey Storm (30) defeated by Team Bath (50)

Player of the match: Sophie Drakeford-Lewis (Team Bath)

Team Bath have kept their undefeated record intact with another convincing performance, this time against Surrey Storm downing the side by 20 goals. Bath just continue to get better with time as their connections solidify across the court and their belief grows. Their intentions were clear from the get-go as Bath raced out of the blocks opening up a handy lead at quarter time and only increased the margin as the game went on. The most impressive feat of the game was Bath’s ability to keep Storm below double digits in each quarter and really tightened the screws in the final term limiting them to five goals while they piled on 10 of their own.

The versatility inside the circle gifted Bath with the upper hand as Kim Borger, Sophie Drakeford-Lewis and Betsy Creak all effectively plied their trade. Drakeford-Lewis continued her hot form, leading the way with 24 goals while Creak slotted 15 and Borger 11 at 100 per cent. Bath had no problem rotating their players throughout the game with the defensive unit getting a shake up as Layla Guscoth, Summer Artman, Tash Pavelin and Eboni Usoro-Brown all getting valuable minutes and stopping the Storm shooters in their tracks. Karyn Bailey was her reliable self under the post despite only managing a lowly 16 goals as Frankie Wells chimed in with 11 but did not do enough to worry Bath. The tried and tested duo of Yasmin Parsons and Mikki Austin had their moments of magic through the middle with their cautious ball movement but they were simply upstaged by the likes of Serena Guthrie who managed three intercepts of her own and Imogen Allison who was creative with ball in hand. The slick ball movement and defensive pressure from Guthrie and Allison caused headaches for the Storm as they struggled to transition from attack to defence with any form of fluidity.

Strathclyde Sirens (32) drew with Wasps Netball (32)

Player of the match: Emily Nicholl (Strathclyde Sirens)

It was a heart in your mouth finish to the game as the two sides battled it out in the dying moments of the game to secure the match, that in the end resulted in a draw. Neither side could be separated throughout, counterpunching everything that was thrown at them and working in overdrive to do the little things right in hope to break ahead. It was a low scoring affair from the opening term with both the Sirens and Wasps struggling to generate scoring power with the highest scoring quarter going to the Wasps with 10 goals. It was a milestone game for a number of Wasps with Rachel Dunn making her 70th appearance and Fran Williams playing in her 50th.

Still missing the services of Lynsey Gallagher the Sirens found other avenues to score as Emma Barrie shouldered the load thanks to her 17-goal performance while Bethan Goodwin also found her groove thanks to her eight goals. Niamh McCall managed seven goals but lacked accuracy. Williams made her presence felt in her milestone match amassing three intercepts and five deflections as partner in crime Josie Huckle also won her fair share of turnover ball with five rebounds and six deflections. The battle through the centre was tantalising as Iona Christian and Gia Abernethy went toe-to-toe in order to drive the ball forward for their respective sides. The combination of Dunn and Katie Harris was once again on show however the duo struggled to find space inside the circle putting up a lowly 15 and 16 goals respectively in the draw credit to the workrate of Emily Nicholl, Towera Vinkhumbo and Taylor Cullen out in wing defence.