Netball Super League | Wasps Netball’s Road to the Final

Wasps Netball will take on Manchester Thunder this Saturday in London for the Vitality Netball Superleague crown.

It will be the last of 20 games to be played by the Black and Golds this season, as they seek to secure a historic third successive Vitality Netball Superleague title.

The season started against last year’s Grand Final opponents – and this year’s semi-finalists – Loughborough Lightning, at Super 10 in Birmingham.

It marked Mel Mansfield’s first Superleague match as Head Coach and saw a resounding 30-goal victory, thanks to an impressive third-quarter display.

The third-quarter proved fruitful for Wasps in the back-to-back away victories which followed against London Pulse and Surrey Storm.

Wasps came home to Ricoh Arena for the first time in 2019 to face Saracens Mavericks in March – and it proved to be their sternest test so far.

The Black and Golds were run close and resisted a late Saracens comeback to win by four goals, in a game which saw Sophia Candappa’s first Player of the Match award.

Mansfield’s side reeled off three further successive wins against Celtic Dragons, Team Bath and Strathclyde Sirens.

The seven-game winning run came to an end at the hands of Manchester Thunder on March 6 at Ricoh Arena, but Wasps bounced straight back to beat Severn Stars four days later.

Then came two tight away trips to Loughborough and Manchester, resulting in two losses by just one-goal – as Thunder moved into poll position in the league standings.

But at home on March 31, Wasps sent out a statement victory with a 32-goal margin win over London Pulse.

The Black and Golds would remain unbeaten for the rest of the regular season, including impressive wins against top-four contenders Team Bath and Saracens Mavericks.

The winning run saw the announcement of Sophia Candappa’s pregnancy, and the introduction of Beth Dix into the gameday squad.

Easter Weekend saw Wasps move back to the top of the table, and secure a top-four finish, with two more wins against Storm and Dragons at Ricoh Arena.

Top of the table is where Wasps stayed, eventually leading by six points with back-to-back away victories at Stars and Sirens in Glasgow – as the regular season came to a close.

The Sports and Wellness Hub at the University of Warwick was decked out in Black and Gold for the semi-final against Lightning.

A stunning second-half display saw Wasps come away as winners by 20 goals, making their third-successive Vitality Netball Superleague Grand Final in the process.

And Mansfield’s side will head to the Copper Box Arena this Saturday (5.30pm centre-pass) for their final game of the season, as they look to make history with a third league title in three seasons.

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