Netball Super League | British Fast 5 All-Stars Day Report

British Fast5 Netball All-Stars. Pic Jamie McPhilimey/ Matchroom MultiSport.

Loughborough Lightning’s Jo Harten stole the show at the British Fast 5 All-Star Championships as Lightning became Champions for the second time in their history.

Lighting edged rivals Wasps Netball 61-35 in the Final at the Copper Box Arena in what proved to be a thrilling day of quick fire netball.

We followed all of the action from the day:

Match 1: Wasps Netball 30-22 Severn Stars

Defending Champions, Wasps Netball started the day brightly with a strong win against Severn Stars.

Both teams came out of the blocks quickly, with Paige Reed and Rachel Dunn cancelling each other out, scoring a five point long bomb each.

Georgina Rowe etched further away at the scoreline with a safe one point goal but Katie Harris quickly went one better, scoring Wasps’ second five-pointer of the game.

With a well timed Golden Buzzer, Severn Stars pushed themselves into the lead scoring from the three point range and adding six points [10-12].

Unfortunately it was all they could manage during their two minute Power Play but they continued to add to the scoreline soon after, scoring two from the one point range.

It was now Wasps Netball’s turn for the Golden Buzzer and with two Rachel Dunn long bombs and 20 points scored it was a lucrative two minute period for the reigning champions. This turned the game and Wasps now found themselves with a comfortable 16-point lead.

Severn Stars didn’t stop and Alyssa-Jean Savelio finished the game scoring two from range, resulting in another eight points being added to their total [30-22].

Match 2: Manchester Thunder 15-31 Loughborough Lightning

This time it was the turn of current Vitality Netball Superleague Champions, Manchester Thunder. They were up against Loughborough Lightning who had secured the All-Star signing of the tournament with Vitality Rose Jo Harten returning to play in purple and pink.

It was Manchester Thunder’s All-Star, Erin Bell that kick started proceedings though, scoring one point within the first few seconds and then quickly following it up with a three point goal.

Lightning responded with Jo Harten getting her first five point goal of the day making it 4-5. It certainly wouldn’t be her last.

Thunder’s Joyce Mvula got her scoring off to a start with a one point goal but Loughborough’s Ella Clark went four points better with a superb five point goal [5-10].

Lightning’s Golden Buzzer couldn’t have been better timed with Harten scoring one from the five point range soon after, 10 points scored.

Bell and Mvula were still plucking away, scoring one point each and once Lightning’s two minute Power Play was up Thunder hit the Golden Buzzer in search of some big points.

The East Midland side tightened up their defence through some excellent work from Sam May. Thunder finished their Power Play with zero points scored.

Harten added another five point long bomb and Lucy Parize was on to add three points to the total [10-28].

Mvula finished the game with a thrilling five point goal with Parize adding another three points to finish off the game.

Match 3: Team Bath 28-40 Celtic Dragons

Debutants Celtic Dragons announced their arrival at the British Fast5 All-Stars Championship in style with a comprehensive 28-40 victory over Team Bath Netball.

In the highest scoring game of the competition so far, Tania Hoffman’s side oozed class and confidence.

Lucy Herdman, who represented England at the World Indoor Netball Championships over the summer, was on target from the get-go and opened the scoring with a long bomb.

Dragons applied fierce defensive pressure throughout to limit the five-time Vitality Netball Superleague champions, who once again welcomed Stacey Francis back into the blue and gold as their All-Star.

The Power Play can make all the difference during the shorter format of the game and Dragons certainly capitalised.

Herdman nailed two from range as the Welsh outfit racked up 26 points during their two-minute spell and opened up a clear gap.

Trailing Dragons 12-34 heading into their Power Play, Team Bath Netball fought to cut the deficit but to no avail.

Despite Laura Rudland landing two five-pointers in the closing stages, it wasn’t enough for Anna Stembridge’s team as Dragons made the perfect start to their inaugural campaign.

Match 4: Surrey Storm 31-17 Saracens Mavericks

Surrey Storm made a clear statement of intent as they swept aside Saracens Mavericks in their opening game at the Copper Box Arena.

Jhaniele Fowler, Jamaica international and Super Netball’s leading goal scorer in each of the last two seasons playing for West Coast Fever, made no mistake from the three-point range as she got the scoreboard ticking over.

Anything Storm could do, Mavericks could do too with both teams nailing five-pointers in the early stages.

Mavericks were the first to hit the golden buzzer and activate their Power Play but failed to find the target.

Attention then turned to Storm’s Power Play with Karyn Bailey scoring two points before landing a long bomb to catapult the team in duck egg blue to a clear advantage.

And Mikki Austin’s side professionally closed out the game with Yasmin Hodge-England adding another six points to their tally.

Afterwards a delighted Director of Netball Austin said: “It’s great for us to get a run out. It’s not every day you get to play against some of these superstars.”

Match 5 : Wasps Netball 20-48 Loughborough Lightning

2017 British Fast5 All-Stars winners Loughborough Lightning sealed a spot in the semi-finals after dispatching defending champions Wasps Netball.

Both sides missed early chances as they took their time to establish their rhythm before last year’s MVP Rachel Dunn scored a trademark long bomb.

And the Vitality Rose, who was part of England’s bronze medal-winning side at the Vitality Netball World Cup, made it two out of two from distance with a quickfire second.

But her international teammate Jo Harten, back in the purple dress for the first time in eight years, matched her efforts with a five-pointer of her own.

Wasps failed to maximise on their Power Play as Harten instead fired Lightning into the lead for the first time in the game then singlehandedly amassed a whopping 30 points for Sara Bayman’s side during their Power Play.

Much to the delight of the Copper Box crowd, Harten rounded off a shooting masterclass with a final five-pointer.

Discussing her performance and the atmosphere inside the arena, Harten commented: “When you nail one and you get the crowd going and the team bench on their feet, there’s no better feeling!”

Match 6: Celtic Dragons 35-41 Surrey Storm

The Copper Box Arena were on the edge of their seats as the clash between Celtic Dragons and Surrey Storm went down to the wire.

Storm raced ahead to an early eight-point lead, thanks to pinpoint precision in the three and five-point zones from their shooters.

They then stretched further out in front and were 0-24 up after Sophie Hankin coolly slotted 16 points during their Power Play.

But Dragons battled back and netted an impressive 30 points in their two-minute Power Play with Lucy Herdman on target for three 10-pointers.

Hankin sent Storm out to a 30-38 lead but Tania Hoffman’s team kept chipping away and a five-pointer once again brought them back in touching distance.

However with one minute and 30 seconds remaining on the clock, Dragons missed two long bomb opportunities and three points from Hankin sealed a 35-41 victory for Storm.

Match 7: Severn Stars 14-27 Manchester Thunder

Manchester Thunder broke their British Fast 5 All-Stars curse to register their first-ever win in the tournament, beating Severn Stars 14-27.

Thunder’s Ash Neal netted the first points of the game with a fantastic three-pointer from the edge of the circle but Stars were quick to react with Alyssa-Jean Savelio scoring from the five point range.

With the next three set of points coming from Thunder they developed a stronghold on the game, Erin Bell and Neal sharing the points [12-5].

Thunder were clearly feeling confident and elected for the Power Play but after some excellent Stars defence they finished the two minutes empty handed.

Soon after Stars hit their Golden Buzzer but they also returned with nothing to show from it. A game of the Golden Buzzer but not for the right reasons.

Thunder had the share of the points for the remainder of the game with Joyce Mvula and Kathryn Turner electing for three-pointers whenever possible.

Match 8: Team Bath 23-36 Saracens Mavericks

Saracens Mavericks knocked Team Bath Netball out of the British Fast5 All-Stars Championship and gave themselves one final shot at making the semi-finals after a 23-36 victory.

Commonwealth Games gold medallist Kadeen Corbin opened the scoring for Mavericks with a five-pointer before Team Bath Netball edged ahead with back-to-back three-pointers.

There was nothing to separate the two teams in the opening stages as they were level at 12-all.

Kat Ratnapala’s team opted to take their Power Play first with Jhaniele Fowler and Corbin both on point to carve out a 12-24 lead.

Mavericks then produced a strong defensive display and were clinical in the shooting zone as they scored more points than Team Bath during the Blue and Gold’s Power Play.

With an 18-32 advantage heading into the closing moments, Mavericks comfortably saw off the five-time Vitality Netball Superleague champions with Fowler adding the final points of the game.

Match 9: Wasps Netball 27-20 Manchester Thunder

Wasps Netball’s quest to retain their British Fast5 All-Stars title continued as they beat Manchester Thunder to make the semi-finals.

Katie Harris opened the scoring for the defending champions before a couple of misses for both sides.

Ash Neal landed a five-pointer for Thunder and then it was time for the Black and Yellows’ Power Play in which Neal and Kathryn Turner scored six points apiece to make it 6-17 in their favour.

Wasps Netball responded instantly in their Power Play though with the in-form Rachel Dunn slotting another 10-pointer to make it 19-17.

Turner coolly scored another three-pointer to hand Thunder a slim 19-20 advantage as Wasps’ Power Play finished.

But with two minutes to go, Wasps turned the game on its head once again with Dunn (five points) and Harris (three points) netting to seal a 27-20 win.

Match 10: Celtic Dragons 38-29 Saracens Mavericks

Celtic Dragons secured a place in the British Fast5 All-Stars semi-finals in their maiden appearance at the event.

It was Saracens Mavericks who drew first blood with Jhaniele Fowler opening the scoring after just 10 seconds.

Dragons opened their account through Rebekah Robinson before a flurry of goals saw things all square at 11-11.

Mavericks pushed the golden buzzer but failed to capitalise on the double points up for grabs, leaving the door wide open for Tania Hoffman’s side.

And Dragons seized the opportunity with both hands as Robinson and Lucy Herdman scored to open up a 19-point gap (33-14).

Kat Ratnapala’s team kept battling to the end though and clawed back some ground with three consecutive long bombs but ultimately fell short.

Semi-Final 1: Surrey Storm 28-35 Wasps Netball

Rachel Dunn stole the show as she scored all 35 of Wasps Netball’s points as they beat Surrey Storm 28-35 to make their second consecutive final.

Dunn and Sophie Hankin were trading blows in the opening stages with long bombs flying in left, right and centre.

Hankin then got Storm’s Power Play off to the perfect start with a 10-pointer but they were the only points Mikki Austin’s team could add to their tally.

Mel Mansfield’s side got their Power Play off to a shaky start with an uncharacteristic miss from Dunn and Storm instead getting three additional points on the board.

The Vitality Rose was quickly back in her stride though with three long bombs in a row, totalling 20 points, to make it 23-35 to Wasps.

Storm netted one final five-pointer as they tried to cut the deficit but their 2019 Fast5 All-Stars journey came to an end at the semi-final stage.

Semi-Final 2: Loughborough Lightning 35-33 Celtic Dragons

Jo Harten continued her fine display to ensure her side – Loughborough Lightning – had a place in this year’s British Fast 5 All-Stars Final. She scored all her team’s 35 points in a closely fought battle with Celtic Dragons.

The Dragons were first to get ahead with Lucy Herdman scoring two three-pointers in the early stages.

Jo Harten quickly sunk her first five point goal of the game to keep Loughborough in touch but it was soon matched by the Dragons who also got a five-point goal.

Lightning must have been feeling some pressure and opted for an early Power Play. This proved to be decisive with Harten getting 20 points in this period and taking the score to 25-14.

The Dragons bench didn’t wait long to play their Power Play which was a master stroke. With 16 points scored by Dragons during the two minute period the score was tied at 30-30.

Harten managed to get Lightning ahead with another five-pointer but Dragons weren’t being shook away easily, also getting three points in the later stages, making the score 35-33.

The pivotal moment of the game came from Sam May who intercepted a Celtic feed with less than 20 second to go. It slowed the Dragon’s game down just enough to ensure they couldn’t get to the post in time, with the buzzer going just as Amy Clinton turned to shoot.

Final: Read a full match report of the final by clicking here.

If you loved seeing all the action at the British Fast5 All-Stars, make sure you’ve secured your tickets for the Vitality Netball Superleague Season Opener 2020 – buy tickets now!

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