Vitality Netball Superleague coverage continues Sunday with round four and four consecutive games available to watch on Sky Sports’ YouTube channel starting at noon.
By Sky Sports Netball
Last updated: 22/02/21 21:44 pm
Amy Clinton got off to a great start to Celtic Dragons season
Take a look back at the third round of the Vitality Netball Superleague, and enjoy some of the best performances and top talking points.
After an opening weekend of 10 games, the third round was up to the same level, starting with a better game between Leeds Rhinos Netball and Surrey Storm, and started from there.
If you missed some of the action, you can watch every game on the Sky Sports YouTube channel. Here we go over some of the things that jumped out on another action-packed Vitality Netball Superleague round …
Round match
This week we will look no further than the final match between Netball wasps and Team swim netball, because it highlighted the in-depth strength that Bath possesses as well as the fighting qualities of Wasps Netball.
Vitality Superleague – Third Round Results
| Sunday | Surrey Storm 44-50 Leeds Rhinos Netball |
|---|---|
| Celtic Dragons 35-52 Strathclyde Sirens | |
| Manchester Thunder 57-30 London Pulse | |
| Loughborough Lightning 60-35 Saracens Mavericks | |
| Monday | Celtic Dragons 40-56 Surrey Storm |
| Wasps Netball 39-44 Team Bath Netball |
Turn player
In the Dragons’ shooting circle, Amy clinton continued to look cool and take pictures from anywhere.
The Welsh side were indebted to their work in their competitions and against Storm in particular you saw how crucial she is to their production when she left the pitch due to injury. In a league full of outstanding shooters, Clinton truly stands and counts.
Tour performance (s)
Normally we will only have one performance of the round, but in this round, two outfits – Manchester Thunder and Loughborough Lightning – could not be parted and there was a strong argument for Team Bath Netball to make the cut as well.
On Sunday, the 2019 Thunder champion demonstrated his qualities with an impressive 57-30 victory over London Pulse.
After suffering from a slow start against Strathclyde Sirens on opening weekend, they didn’t make the same mistake twice. Instead, their 18-7 first quarter, which included them scoring eight unanswered goals from the first whistle, laid the foundation for their work.
Not only did Karen Greig’s team keep their foot on the accelerator throughout, but they were able to continue to give time to their young players and showcase the considerable talents they have in their ranks.
No less than 13 members of their team have come their way and the way Berri Neil and Lois Pearson, in particular, have stepped onto the Superleague stage has been impressive.
We weren’t happy with our performance last week, so we worked hard in training this week and you can tell on the court. We do know, however, that there is still more to come.
Emma Dovey
Once Thunder and Pulse had finished on the court, Lightning made their statement with their 60-35 victory over the Saracens Mavericks. It was another result that was built on a strong start as defensive work from Alice Harvey, Sam May and Beth Cobden set the tone.
Sara Bayman was also able to turn to her bench during the meeting, and captain Nat Panagarry spoke after the game of his desire to start this season strong in order to put himself in a positive position later.
“It’s nice to see the team pushing in the second half,” said Bayman. “Everyone who came did exactly what we wanted, and it was good to bring in all twelve of the team and put in a confidence-building performance.”
Vitality Superleague – Round Four Meetings
| Sunday | Severn Stars vs. Manchester Thunder |
|---|---|
| Strathclyde Sirens vs London Pulse | |
| Wasps Netball vs. Surrey Storm | |
| Leeds Rhinos Netball vs. Loughborough Lightning | |
| Monday | Celtic Dragons vs Saracen Mavericks |
| Loughborough Lightning vs. Severn Stars |
Excellent young player
After flying in the Leeds Rhinos Netball circle, 18 Sienna Rushton won the player of the match award after their 50-44 victory over Surrey Storm.
Her 34 goals were an integral part of their triumph and the way she commanded her circle and had the confidence to set up her shots will no doubt have pleased her head coach Dan Ryan.
Already Rushton and Rhea Dixon are in tune with each other and seem to have been playing together for much longer than a few months.
With Donnell Wallam sidelined for an ‘extended period’ there will be a lot of pressure on this teenager’s shoulders, but after taking part in a U19 tour of England at the age of 15, she should be up to the challenge.
I am so proud of the kids, to ride the wave and get out of it is amazing. What an opportunity for them to get on the pitch and play, I’m so proud of their execution under great pressure.
They surprise me every day and that’s what makes my job so exciting, I love it. There is a huge smile under this mask, watching them play, learn and grow.
The view on social media
In November of last year, Mia Ritchie announced that she had decided to take time off netball after 11 years in the Vitality Netball Superleague, to “focus on other aspects of life.”
She might not be on the pitch this season, but she gives her thoughts and opinions after every game.
#DRAvSIR Impressed with Sirens’ ability to get back up after losing Gallagher. The swings around the edge of the circle worked wonders on offense. Abernethy is strong again. Nicholl a quiet assassin 👏🏼 Back on the Dragons’ training ground, though Clinton’s accuracy is exceptional.
– Mia Ritchie (@mia_ritchie) February 21, 2021
As you would expect with the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham just around the corner, England head coach Vitality Roses, Jess Thirlby, has been keeping tabs on all of her players and is keeping her predictions silent. .
🤣🤣🤣🤣 I always challenge myself to make league and match predictions, but I love seeing all the teams and I’m sure there will be a few unexpected twists and turns along the way 😉 https://t.co / qv4gScktD1
– Jess (@JessThirlby) February 22, 2021
Verdict of the experts
During one of his commentary games on Sunday, Pamela cookey shared his take on 12-minute quarters, a new feature for this season, and why she thinks it’s a great idea.
“I love them, I think it adds a bit of extra pressure to teams by letting them know they have to go out there and do something,” she said.
“In 15 minutes, you sometimes see the quarters explode a little more, because a team sets up, but with 12 minutes it makes things more exciting. If I was playing, I would have liked!”
Sky Sports is your home of netball. The Vitality Netball Superleague continues Sunday with the fourth inning and four consecutive games available to watch on the Sky Sports YouTube channel starting at 12 p.m. ET.