Coverage of the Vitality Netball Superleague continues on Saturday with three back-to-back matches streamed live on the Sky Sports Youtube channel from 2pm
Saturday 29 May 2021 13:54, UK
London Pulse and Team Bath Netball marked the return of fans to the Vitality Netball Superleague with victories at the Copper Box Arena on Friday night.
In the opening match of the evening, Pulse's strong second half helped them to race over the line against Dragons. Team Bath then showed the strength housed within their squad to overcome a tenacious Severn Stars.
The two encounters kicked off a 10-match weekend in which the race for the play-offs intensifies. Manchester Thunder could book a play-off spot on Saturday, while Wasps, Saracens Mavericks, Strathclyde Sirens and Leeds Rhinos Netball remain in contention for the remaining place.
Every match of the weekend will be streamed live on the Sky Sports YouTube channel and Monday's final two encounters will also be live on Sky Sports Mix.
The last time that fans were able to watch netball in person, and Superleague's players were able to feel the true buzz of a game day, was on March 14, 2020.
When the last 'normal' Superleague matches took place, none of the players on court or those watching in the stands had any idea about the year that was ahead of them.
Little did the athletes know it would be a year in which they'd face a wealth of personal and professional challenges due to COVID-19. They would be forced to train at home by themselves and at times, not know exactly when competitive netball would return.
When the team training was allowed to return, it was a gradual re-introduction and nearly 80 per cent of the 2021 season has had to have been played behind closed doors.
"We trained here last night and there was a buzz in the air," Sam Bird, London Pulse's CEO said to Sky Sports, ahead of the first centre pass on Friday.
"It's just so exciting. This is where we play and train... the Copper Box is our home.
"It's just fantastic, for us as a club and for the sport, to have fans back. It's a real celebration of netball. There's something special about playing sport in front of your fans."
On court against Dragons, Pulse channelled their feelings of excitement from the first whistle. At goal defence, Funmi Fadoju put considerable pressure on Rebekah Robinson and that limited Dragons' options in attack.
The London outfit held a four-goal lead after 12 minutes and although they struggled during the second quarter - drawing it 11-11 - they restored their hold on the contest from the word 'go' in the second half.
As Dragons kept their line-up the same, Pulse introduced fresh faces, including an influential Sigi Burger. Once the scoreboard started to move rapidly, Bird then gave game time to the rest of her bench and even handed a Superleague debut to her promising teenage defender Peace Akinyemi.
With a play-off place already secured, Team Bath Netball's head coach Anna Stembridge changed her starting line-up for their contest against Stars.
She handed starts to Tash Pavelin at GD and Kirsty Harris at WA in order to "see what else" Bath could bring to the table, while Stars were focused on producing a team performance and meeting their own goals.
A 12-7 first quarter saw both outfits commence the game with a few errors. Bath's new line-up didn't immediately settle and Stars also forced it at times.
For the second quarter, Stars introduced Kyra Jones and her presence lifted Melissa Bessell's unit. Jones' energy combined with that of Nia Jones and Liana Leota and a 10-9 quarter kept the encounter tight at the interval.
Eager to produce a 'championship quarter', Bath introduced Layla Guscoth for the third. With Rachel Shaw having been restored in the WA bib late in the second quarter, a slicker route into an inspired Kim Borger helped Bath to quietly pull away.
It wasn't perfect from the league leaders but they were able to turn a six-goal cushion into 11 goals by three-quarter time, and despite constant effort and pressure from Stars, Bath never relinquished their hold on the encounter.
Sky Sports is your home of netball. The Vitality Netball Superleague continues on Saturday with Round 17 and three successive matches streamed on the Sky Sports YouTube channel from 2pm.
