Hertfordshire Mavericks are now second in the Co-operative Netball Superleague and just one point away from joining rivals Surrey Storm in the play-offs. The 13-goal win over Glasgow Wildcats moves them above TeamBath although the west-country side have two games in hand.
Table-topping Storm guaranteed they will be on of the final four in the end of season show-down with a win in Sheffield against Leeds on Thursday night’s live match. Mavericks nailed a 13 goal win over the much improved and fast-finishing Glasgow Wildcats in front of a near capacity home crowd at the University of Hertfordshire.
Odd is one way to describe the opening quarter of the match. The ball was passed to and fro, fro and to, which usually results in a goal. In this quarter there were fewer goals than minutes and only 13 centre passes in total. Glasgow appeared to be cat-napping as the home team stretched into a 7 goal lead at the quarter whistle.
Centre Fiona Moore and WA Gail Higgins seized the chance to impress in the second quarter and it was a much closer affair just one-goal between them this time but Mavericks extending their advantage.
It was a similar story in the third quarter. The ‘Cats had rethought their shooting options with the skipper moved into the GS bib and Rachel Holmes coming on, an injury to Lesley MacDonald saw her substituted as a precaution, June McNeill restored in the circle.
Still bitty the game pushed on to the final whistle with the home side surrendering nothing and securing the points that take them closer to a play-off and if possible home advantage.
Denise Holland was not disappointed about the result, the Glasgow Wildcats head coach said, “I’m delighted that we contested the game for three quarters, narrowing the margin by 10 goals from the first round marking our progress.”
A bitty game from both sides on the night, both teams not at their best if recent performances are anything to go by. Maggie Jackson, Mavericks Head Coach though, thought it was a testing game. “Credit to Glasgow Wildcats, we had to work hard to stay in the match.”
Sorry, for this but I can’t resist remarking on the fact that Scotland’s Superleague franchise will be less Wildcat and more rabbit-like for a few days, as boy are they going to be busy and the Easter bunny’s not even due until next weekend. Flying home on Saturday, it will be back on the bus on Sunday to face Northern Thunder, before heading back from Bury to prepare the ground for a “Dragon fight”.
Mavericks can extend their season with a win over Loughborough on Monday, Lightning are playing catch-up from the bottom up due to a pile-up of fixtures from the snow.
