VNSL 2022 - Saracens Mavericks v Leeds Rhinos

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coach’s comment

KATHRYN RATNAPALA

Head Coach & Director of Netball Hi all,

A warm welcome to University of Hertfordshire from all of us!

I can’t believe we are already at Round 9 of our 2022 season and we’re looking forward to getting out on court in front of you all and hearing you in full voice!

The squad have been training so hard behind the scenes, each and every one of them have stepped up and are showing real leadership and accountability in our training environment.

Today brings a new challenge of Leeds Rhinos and we are looking forward to the opportunity each game day brings, we are so fortunate to play in front of you all and looking forward to putting on another great display for you all.

Lets hear you Saracens Mavericks family

#Strongertogether

@SaracensMavs

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match reporT

Written by Jack Butler

surrey storm 55 - 53 saracens mavericks A spirited Saracens Mavericks fell agonisingly short in Round 8 of the Vitality Netball Superleague, as Surrey Storm edged a hardfought match 55-53 at the Surrey Sports Park.

The tie between two local rivals remained a close affair to the final whistle, as both sides took the lead in an enthralling final quarter.

The Mavs went 50-49 ahead with less than five minutes to go, but the Surrey side responded well to record a win in front of their home crowd.

Kathryn Ratnapala’s side played without vice-captain Gabby Marshall (covid) and Ine-Mari Venter, who was out because of an injury sustained in the Mavs 48-45 victory over Strathclyde Sirens on Saturday.

Q1 started with a turnover from the Mavericks' centre pass that saw the Storm two ahead after a minute. The Mavs pushed on undeterred, and a lovely interchange saw Sasha Corbin feed Chloe Essam before the latter finished a well-worked move.

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Surrey impressed throughout the first quarter, and some sharpshooting from Peace Proscovia saw Q1 end 13-11 to the hosts.

Q2 unfolded in a scrappy fashion, with defensive pressure from both sides, with both teams playing their second match of the weekend.

Proscovia starred for the Storm and remained composed in front of the goal to put the hosts five ahead. But Kadeen Corbin, filling in at GS in Venter's absence, did well to cut the lead to two before the interval. She was awarded Version 2 Player of the Match for her efforts to keep the Mavericks within touching distance of the Storm, as the first half finished 28-25.

The third quarter saw Razia Quashie look to have made an impressive interception, but an awarded contact saw the Storm edge further ahead at the end of this move.

Mavericks stuck to their task and worked their way back into a match that looked out of reach at one stage. Vocal support from the bench inspired a possible

sunday 13th march 2022

surrey sports park comeback, with Chloe Essam a key part of quick exchanges that cut the lead to just two points, as the score read 41-39 to the Storm ahead of the final quarter.

Mavericks pushed forward in search of victory in Q4 but found the Storm equally determined on their home court. Ratnapala’s side went ahead for the first time in the match, as a turnover led by another interception from Quashie proved vital.

But the Storm drew on their

home crowd, taking the lead late on, as a decisive run of goals without reply secured them a

Version2 Player of the Match

kADEEN corbin tense and close victory. It saw the Mavs fall to defeat, despite a fighting performance in which they more than matched their opponents across the court.

This weekend's results still puts the Mavs in a great position to continue their push for the playoffs. Next Saturday, the Red and Blacks return to Herts Sports Centre to play Leeds Rhinos in Round 9.

Rhiannon Shore

@SaracensMavs

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saracens mavericks GS

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Britney CLARKE

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Kadeen CORBIN

Sponsored by

Sasha CORBIN

Heritage Netball League GS

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Beth ECUYER-DALE

Chloe ESSAM

DOMINIC SLYVESTER

NIGEL WRAY

Sponsored by

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Georgia LEES

Gabriella MARSHALL

Razia QUASHIE

PAUL O’SHEA

Heritage Netball League

BELMONT SCHOOL

Sponsored by

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Jodie GIBSON

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GS GA WA C WD GD GK

TRAINING PARTNERS

Ine-Mari VENTER

GS GA WA C WD

GS

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Yasmin HODGEENGLAND

Bella BAYLIS

GD GK

Bea SKINGSLEY Sponsored by

Marco V. Masotti

Aliyah ZARANYIKA

STAFF TEAM MANAGER

ASSISSTANT COACH

GS

HEAD COACH

GA

WA C

WD GD

GK

Kathryn RATNAPALA

@SaracensMavs

Camilla BUCHANAN

SaracensMavericks

Sam CASTLE

SaracensMavericks

match reporT

Written by Camilla Buchanan

saracens mavericks 48 - 45 strathclyde sirens An opening sprint out of the blocks for Saracens Mavericks proved to be the 15 minutes that got them over the line with a 48-45 win over the Scottish outfit.

Saracens Mavericks took their 2022 campaign on the road to their home from home at the University of Essex, Colchester in what was set to be a nail biter of a game.

Rhiannon Shore

The Black & Reds hadn’t taken a win off Strathclyde Sirens since Round 18 in the 2019 season, so were hungry to regain the upper hand.

The second quarter opened with the familiar Black and Red defensive pressure forcing Sirens to throw their centre pass possession off the sideline.

Quarter one opened with plenty of contesting, with both teams taking a three goal run each in the opening part of the quarter.

Followed up with some swift through court and an Ecuyer-Dale special give & go that Ine-Mari Venter slotted away, that started a 5-0 run for Mavs.

The Mavericks line of defence was tight with some slick switches between Razia Quashie & Jodie Gibson, whilst Version 2 Player of the Match Aliyah Zaranyika and Beth Ecuyer-Dale formed a steel barrier in front of them to build the pressure against a persistent Sirens side.

The quarter ended 14-10 to the home side.

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That was to be Venters last of the game as she suffered a tweak to her calf which forced her to leave the court prematurely.

Player of the Match, Zaranyika was exceptional as she charged through with an outstanding intercept to lift her side further into the lead.

saturday 12th march 2022

University of essex arena Chloe Essam entered at GA & Kadeen Corbin moved back to GS, the duo kept the momentum going as Sirens looked to fight back into the game.

The ever growing Scottish partnership of McCall & Goodwin were finding their groove & with McCalls long bomb range causing problems for the Mavs defence, they kept close to the Blacks & Reds and drew the quarter 12-12. Half time score, 26-22 to Mavericks

Sirens half time team talk clearly targeted the Mavericks attacking line with increased pressure not allowing Mavericks a clear pathway to goal. Vinkhumbo & Nicholl for sirens were causing all kinds of mischief, forcing a high number passes per play & some balls off the back line.

Sirens introduced Emma Barrie at GS & after an injury call Goodwin came back into the game from a short stint on the bench as McCall left the court as GA.

Britney Clarke also entered as GS for Saracens Mavericks slotting away 3 from 3 in the few moments left, edging the quarter

by 2 goals finishing 37-31.

The final push for both teams saw Mavericks inject Georgia Lees at WA & Captain Sasha Corbin into C.

A ring of changes for Sirens helped them claw back but it wasn’t enough to get them over the line. The Black & Reds never gave up their lead and finished the game 48-45.

Kat Ratnapala said that “although it wasn’t a smooth route to a win, we have often struggled against this Sirens team when it mattered. And today mattered.

So we will take the win & move swiftly on to our game two of the weekend as we take on Surrey Storm away tomorrow. I was delighted with Player of the Match Aliyah Zaranyika’s step up today. I felt like she dominated her zone and won ball when it mattered but also eliminated their options, a really mature performance for our rising star”.

Version2 Player of the Match

Aliyah Zaranyika

@SaracensMavs

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match reporT

Written by Camilla Buchanan

loughborough lightning 71 - 47 saracens mavericks Saracens Mavericks travelled to the midlands to take on undefeated Loughborough Lightning in what proved to be a shake to Mavericks’ recent form.

A Nine goal Lightning run left Saracens Mavericks stunned in the opening quarter & too much to claw back against a firing Loughborough side.

The Version2 sponsored side came into the game with confidence after a string of growing performances but struggled to take a quarter off of Lightning.

against a classy Loughborough side. It was an uncomfortable loss after a string of pleasing performances but questions were asked of us that we are grateful for at this stage of the season. I was pleased with Razia Quashie’s relentlessness efforts against Mary, her leadership and perseverance even when the chips were down shows just the kind of character that she has”.

Saracens Mavericks hasn’t beaten the Lightning side since 2019 and were determined to

After a heavy 19-7 first quarter the red & blacks had left themselves a mountain to climb.

Despite Mavericks’ efforts in the second quarter, the Lightning side kept their foot on the pump and finished the game with an excruciating 71-47 win over the Hertfordshire based team.

Kat Ratnapala, Saracens Mavericks Director of Netball & head Coach added “our team was stifled from the off set & left ourselves too much to recover

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Annette Allanson

saturday 5th march 2022

Sir David Wallace Arena change history with a strong game.

string together some passages that they could build on.

The quarter opened with pressure from both defensive lines forcing both teams into a high number of passes in each play.

Lightning’s young gun GK Alice Harvey took a well earned rest and made way for South African star Phumza Maweni. The quarter ended 57-34.

The red & blacks made a massive 8 turnovers in the quarter but were unable to convert to scoreboard points.

The changes were rung for both sides, with Britney Clarke entering at GS for Saracens Mavs & Suzie Liverseidge in at GA for Lightning.

Quarter two saw both teams unchanged & Saracens Mavericks hoping for a huge quarter to try and recover their 12 goal deficit.

Mavericks came out stronger & equalled Lightnings 18 shooting opportunities but fell short of three goals for the quarter to end 36-21.

Mavericks made one change at half time with Georgia Lees entering for S.Corbin at WA. Lightning remained the same, keeping their momentum and blazing into the third quarter burying Mavericks with a 9-0 start to the period. The damage had been done & for Mavericks it was now about finishing with a little pride and attempting to

Clarke entered the game strong & got stuck in with her first couple of touches keeping the ball in court with a touch of magic.

Quashie in the defence end, kept up her almost impossible task of trying to keep Cholhok quiet and was tenacious in her attempts.

Lightning emptied their bench for the remainder of the game & Mavericks injected young star Aliyah Zaranyika.

The final 71-47 score line proved a very disappointing outing for the Hertfordshire based team but with some great lessons to take into their next games.

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U21 match reporT

Written by Eliza Barclay

SARACENS MAVERICKS 50 - 44 LOUGHBOROUGH LIGHTNING With Saracens Mavericks coming away with a win two weekends previously against Severn Stars we wanted to keep this momentum and push on with our last few games of the season.

The first quarter showed nerves from both teams with simple mistakes when feeding and interceptions coming from both sides. Lightning edged ahead winning the quarter by 2, 12-10.

Intensity in training was a must and the girls have been putting in 100% at each session. Pushing each other each week and implementing our mistakes from weeks before.

No changes going into the second quarter, and we knew we had to step up. Our pace and tenacity grew through the quarter. With our defensive duo of Amy and Sam, confusing the space forcing misplaced passes and misplaced shots. With the help of the centre court, these turnovers were being converted

Starting line-up: GS Libby, GA Pippa, WA Bella, C Liza, WD Aliyah, GD Amy and GK Sam.

Annette Allanson

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to goal helping us with that quarter 14-8. Half time score 24-20.

Again, no changes at half time pushed the 7 on the court and we knew we had a job to do. The team played smart netball and transitions through court improved massively in comparison to the first half. Great defensive structure forced more errors. Allowing our shooter Libby and Pippa to work their rotations, and with circle edge feeds from Bella we finished that quarter 38-29.

Only once change going into the final quarter and we knew the game wasn’t won yet. Knowing Lightning were a very strong team, and they would come out fighting in this last quarter. Isla came on at WA, Bella pushed back to C, Liza to WD, Aliyah to GD and Amy back to GK. This final 15 minutes really tested the girls with silly mistakes and crucial turnover not being taken to goal. Lightning came out strong with calm and patient play, bringing themselves back to within 4. It was the whole team that held off this win, and for Isla

entering the game during a crucial moment and keeping her head in the game. Having only scored 12 in this quarter and lighting scoring 15, we knew this was our weakest quarter.

Coaches’ player of the match

Aliyah Zaranyika

Opposition’s player of the match

Bella Baylis

Players’ player of the match

Eliza Barclay

@SaracensMavs

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U19 match reporT

Written by Josie Groves

SARACENS MAVERICKS 44 - 38 LOUGHBOROUGH LIGHTNING Saturday 5th March saw a slightly different Saracens Mavericks U19 squad head to up to face Loughborough Lightning U19s after losing both our shooting sensation Tianna and defence dynamo Alyssa to illnesses through the week- and previously losing Roses academy defender Eden and another shooting star Melita to injury, but the great thing about our squad is the incredible depth we have throughout, and it was Makeda and Caitlin who got the call ups to make their first appearances in the match day squad and what a stage for it.

There was much excitement in the Mavericks camp, the stands were out, the music was blasting, and we were able to run through the tunnel onto the court to get the game going- and what a game!

Starting 7 (GS-GK): Maddy, Daisy, Justine, Zoe, Josie, Jo, Tori. We had the first centre pass after winning the toss (for the 5th time in a row) and we started right, taking the first centre pass to goal to make it 0-1.

Unfortunately, 5 mins in we had a slight scare with Zoe leaving the

court after a knock to the knee 18

allowing Onyinye to come on at WD and Josie moving to centre.

We went goal for goal in a close first quarter, but it was Lightning who lead the way 11-9 at the break.

Going into the second quarter, our line up returned to the original 7 with Zoe returning to court. Throughout this quarter, we began to find our rhythm, Tori leading from the back creating so many turnovers, and the new shooting combination of Maddy and Daisy going from strength to strength, battling hard in the attacking circle, allowing us to sneak the lead in the final few minutes of the half making it 21-22.

Half time team talks began with wise words coming from Tricia and Lisa, and we were ready for the second half. Again, no changes were made for quarter 3 allowing us to get in the groove with many turnovers from our defence duo Jo and Tori being converted, helped by the clinical attack from Zoe, Justine, Daisy and Maddy. Changes made by both teams 10 mins in saw Onyinye return to court in WD and Josie taking the centre bib. We adapted quickly and kept pushing

Annette Allanson

saturday 5th march 2022

forward to extend the score line.

End of quarter 3: Mavs lead 28-34.

Final push in Q4 and the line-up was Maddy, Daisy, Justine, Josie, Onyinye, Jo, Tori. We knew the final quarter wasn’t going to be easy as we knew Lightning would continue to fight. It got very tense at times in the final quarter as Lighting got a bit of a run going closing the gap to within 1. But another change saw Onyinye drop to GD, Josie to WD and Zoe back on at centre which allowed us to settle, taking more care of the ball and converting our turn overs. The immense support from the crowd and bench (Monika, Caitlin, Makeda, Phoebe, and Jo) helped our tired legs to keep pushing to the final whistle seeing us take the win 38-44!!

What a great game! Thank you to everyone who made it possible, our coaches - Tricia, Lisa, Katy and Tina team manager, Annette for taking photos, our family for supporting us and to our whole squad who continually work hard and support each other. Hopefully we can repeat this performance in our next match.

Coaches’ player of the match

Daisy Porter

Opposition’s player of the match

Maddy Brooking

Players’ player of the match

Maddy Brooking

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