Netball Super League | #VNSL2018 review: Severn Stars

Round-by-Round Recap

W	L	+	–	+/-	GA	Pts
8	10	904	883	21	1.02	24

Round 1 – Severn Stars 47-48 Manchester Thunder

Manchester Thunder snatched a dramatic, last-gasp win in their season opener. The home side had led from the first whistle in front of a record number of fans at the University of Worcester Arena and at the half-way point were in front by 10 points. But Thunder managed to close the gap and as the clock counted down Severn Stars succumbed to a 47-48 defeat.

Round 2 – Severn Stars 52-64 Wasps Netball

It was a frustrating evening for Severn Stars as they lost out to their Midland rivals Wasps Netball. The reigning champions dominated much of the first quarter, building a decisive advantage from which Stars were unable to recover despite strong second and third quarters.

Round 3 – benecosMavericks 68-46 Severn Stars

benecosMavericks took 100% of their turnovers to goal in the third quarter as they won all four quarters and the game against Severn Stars. benecosMavericks Director of Netball, Kat Ratnapala has this to say: “It was fantastic to christen our first outing at the University of Essex with a convincing win and to get all 12 players out on court tonight.”

Round 4 – Severn Stars 47-48 Team Bath Netball

Severn Stars suffered defeat in the final seconds of the match for the second time this season. The team took a 10 goal lead at one stage, and, with six minutes to go, were three points in front. But, in a tight last 30 minutes and frantic finale, relentless pressure from Team Bath saw them net a dramatic winner with less than 10 seconds left on the clock.

Round 5 – Severn Stars 55-43 Surrey Storm

Severn Stars’ Head Coach, Sam Bird, described her side as “ruthless” as they brushed aside Surrey Storm. Stars held the lead throughout the game as they blew away their opponents, opening up a huge 24-goal advantage midway through a stunning third quarter in one of their finest performances.

Round 6 – Celtic Dragons 49-40 Severn Stars

There was nothing to split the teams after the first two quarters before Celtic Dragons pulled away. Goal shooter Cara Moseley shot 85% to help her team achieve successive wins for the first time in four years.

Round 7 – UWS Sirens 46-66 Severn Stars

In an end-to-end opening quarter, the visitors took the lead towards the end of the first 15 minutes. Severn Stars carried that momentum into the second but UWS Sirens cut the deficit to just five goals. The visitors rallied though with rapid counter attacking and lethal shooting to see out a stylish first win of the season.

Round 8 – Team Northumbria 43-47 Severn Stars

Severn Stars edged past Team Northumbria in an enthralling encounter to secure back-to-back wins for the first time this season. Stars had taken a commanding 41-34 lead into the final quarter, but saw that quickly disappear under relentless pressure from their opponents, who brought the score back to within just one point with three minutes remaining.

Round 9 – Severn Stars 43-58 Loughborough Lightning

After two months of matches on the road and a Commonwealth Games break, Severn Stars were after their first home win. But it was not to be as disappointing opening and final quarters left Stars unable to make up the deficit created despite almost matching the opposition in the remainder of the match.

Round 10 – Wasps Netball 54-43 Severn Stars

Wasps Netball made it seven successive wins to start the season despite being without two of their star players against Severn Stars. Tamsin Greenway’s team ran out 54-43 winners in a hard fought game against their West Midlands rivals.

Round 11 – Team Bath Netball 51-35 Severn Stars

Team Bath Netball produced what Player of the Match Layla Guscoth described as a “championship quarter” to set up an ultimately convincing victory in the West Country derby. Just three goals separated the two sides at half-time but Team Bath turned up the heat in a dominant third quarter as they stretched their advantage to 40-29 to effectively settle the game as a contest.

Round 12 – Severn Stars 55-44 benecosMavericks

Severn Stars secured their first home win of the season in style with victory over high-flying benecosMavericks. Mavericks had led for much of a tightly contested first half of the match but Stars, spurred on by an enthusiastic home crowd, took the lead in the third quarter and never surrendered it, dominating through a combination of defensive pressure and smooth attacking play.

Round 13 – Manchester Thunder 55-49 Severn Stars

It was a scorching hot evening in Manchester but it was a slow burner on court as Thunder put in a professional performance against Severn Stars. It was composed and controlled from the Black and Yellows but Stars were a real test, and asked questions of them in all areas of the court, but Thunder did enough to win in front of a sold out home crowd.

Round 14 – Surrey Storm 42-51 Severn Stars

Severn Stars took their second win in four days from Surrey Storm and recorded back-to-back wins in an impressive away victory. Storm started the game in fighting fashion, but Stars held their cool and limited their opponents to only eight goals in the second quarter. A dominant defensive performance and clinical shooting helped the visitors overcome the home side.

Round 15 – Loughborough Lightning 59-45 Severn Stars

An impressive first half performance at the Leicester Arena saw Severn Stars shock the hosts, going in front in the first minute and holding it until the final seconds of the second quarter. But a combative Loughborough Lightning took the game away from Stars in the third quarter, building an impressive lead from which Sam Bird’s side couldn’t recover.

Round 16 – Severn Stars 55-36 UWS Sirens

In an evenly contested start to the first quarter, neither side was able to build more than a one-goal lead, as both sides cancelled each other out early on. Severn Stars got the upper hand and although UWS Sirens chipped away at the deficit, Sam Bird’s team turned on the style in the final quarter.

Round 17 – Severn Stars 63-33 Team Northumbria

Severn Stars recorded their biggest ever win with an emphatic victory over Team Northumbria. Stars blew their opponents away in a dominant third quarter performance, limiting the visitors to just four goals while pulling 20 ahead, on their way to victory.

Round 18 – Severn Stars 65-42 Celtic Dragons

Celtic Dragons battled valiantly but the hosts had the upper hand throughout, with their incisive play causing problems for the visitors. Defeat marked the end of Australian Julie Hoornweg’s stint as Dragons’ interim head coach.

Squad
Rosalie Allison, Eleanor Cardwell, Sophie Carter, Samantha Cook, Iona Darroch, Amanda Davis, Dominique Ford-Gordon, Jodie Gibson, Maryka Holtzhausen, Laura Malcolm, Phumza Maweni, Rebecca Oatley, Shona O’Dwyer, Laura Rudland.

British Fast5 All-Stars Championship
Severn Stars will hit the court at the Copper Box Arena for the British Fast5 All-Stars Championship.

The best of British netball will be showcased in the short form of the game on Saturday 13th October from 1-6pm.

Stars took part in the 2017 edition and made it to the semi-finals after winning two (Manchester Thunder 9-24 Severn Stars and benecosMavericks 8-24 Severn Stars) and losing one (Severn Stars 24-28 Wasps Netball) of their double elimination stage matches.

But they narrowly missed out on making the final, losing 34-26 to eventual runners-up Team Bath Netball.

Will they make it to the 2018 final? Get tickets to see the action live!