Netball Superleague: Thunder remain unbeaten as Stars edge out Wasps
- Published
Around 1,000 fans turned out to Worcester Arena to watch the Severn Stars beat Wasps - one of the only elite live sports games to take place in the UK this weekend
Manchester Thunder and Severn Stars both won their ties on Saturday as the Netball Superleague season continued despite the coronavirus pandemic.
Sporting events worldwide have been disrupted by the virus outbreak, but league bosses announced on Friday, external that round-four fixtures would go ahead as scheduled.
Thunder remain unbeaten after a 60-42 win over Surrey Storm.
Stars secured their first victory of 2020, beating Wasps 59-54.
Defending champions Thunder were made to work for their win at Surrey Sports Park, but their shooting duo of Joyce Mvula and Ellie Cardwell were calm under Storm's defensive pressure as they maintained their 100% start to the season.
Last season's runners-up Wasps have now lost three of their four matches this season, while Stars, in their fourth Superleague campaign, deserved their win to go level on points with their opponents in the table.
Stars defender Nia Jones, a former Wales international, said that the squad were "excited to play" as they "didn't know when the next match might be".
"It feels a bit like we're in a TV show or a movie," Jones said on BBC World Service.
"I travelled from Cardiff to Worcester and the roads were dead.
"All eyes are on us but we have followed government guidelines and the venue is happy for our game to go ahead.
"We don't know when we'll get to play together again so we had to play like this is our last game."
The three remaining round-four ties are expected to go ahead as scheduled on Monday. However, Loughborough Lightning's game with Saracens Mavericks at Loughborough University will be played behind closed doors as a precaution.
Mavericks' round-five fixture against Storm, scheduled to take place at the University of Essex on 21 March, has been cancelled, with the venue no longer able to host the game.
Results & fixtures
Round four
Saturday, 14 March
Severn Stars 59-54 Wasps
Surrey Storm 42-60 Manchester Thunder
Monday, 16 March
Loughborough Lightning v Saracens Mavericks (19:00 GMT)
Celtic Dragons v Strathclyde Sirens (19:00 GMT)
Team Bath v London Pulse (19:30 GMT)
Vitality Netball Superleague table 2020 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | Played | Won | Lost | For | Against | Goal Difference | Points |
Manchester Thunder | 4 | 4 | 0 | 314 | 259 | 55 | 12 |
Team Bath | 3 | 3 | 0 | 206 | 161 | 45 | 9 |
London Pulse | 3 | 3 | 0 | 173 | 139 | 34 | 9 |
Saracens Mavericks | 3 | 2 | 1 | 184 | 151 | 33 | 6 |
Strathclyde Sirens | 3 | 1 | 2 | 165 | 165 | 0 | 3 |
Loughborough Lightning | 3 | 1 | 2 | 181 | 192 | -11 | 3 |
Surrey Storm | 4 | 1 | 3 | 147 | 155 | -8 | 3 |
Wasps Netball | 4 | 1 | 3 | 218 | 237 | -19 | 3 |
Severn Stars | 4 | 1 | 3 | 209 | 250 | -41 | 3 |
Celtic Dragons | 3 | 0 | 3 | 133 | 184 | -51 | 0 |