Welcome to Herts Sports Village for this afternoon’s clash with Strathclyde Sirens.
To have a record number of you here supporting us last weekend against Team Bath meant the world to us as staff and to the players.
The attendances this season have been incredible and I’m so pleased that we were able to work our way through what was a challenging match last weekend to secure an important victory.
It wasn’t a perfect performance, but it was one that showed what we are all about as a side; strength, resilience and a togetherness on and off court.
It was fantastic to see Razia Quashie make her 100th appearance for the club and she put in another superb performance in what has been a stellar season for her in the defensive circle.
Today, we celebrate another milestone, with Ine-Mari Venter making her 50th appearance for Mavericks.
Ine has been a crucial part of this side for several seasons now and has quickly become a player and a person who embodies what it means to be a Maverick.
There are things we still want to work on heading into the back end of the season.
We want to challenge sides in attack, whilst also keeping up the superb defensive performances we have been putting in.
As a group, we’re growing and improving with every game and we know that we need to be at our best this afternoon and in the following three away fixtures, as we look to keep the momentum we have been trying to build going.
I can’t wait for this afternoon and thank you all for being in attendance.
It’s so good to be back in front of our home fans this weekend after a record attendance last weekend .
We’ve had multiple sold out fixtures this season, over 2500 of you cheering us on at OVO Arena Wembley and a recordbreaking HSV crowd so far this season.
As players, I cannot tell you how much that means to us to have you behind us every step of the way.
It’s not just at home though. Those of you that have made the journey to follow us on away trips this season have been amazing as well and we always notice you in amongst the opposition fans!
It really does mean the world to us to have your support and we’re determined to keep putting in performances to make you proud and make ourselves proud on court.
Last weekend against Team Bath was a challenging game.
We had to problem solve out on court at times, but I felt that we came through the battle well, especially in the last quarter.
It showed us that we can grind out results and that’s a really important lesson for us heading into this final part of the season.
We know from our preseason fixture against Strathclyde Sirens and the match up in Scotland earlier in the season that they will be another tough opponent this afternoon.
They are a side that are continually improving, and we know that this is going to be a match where we will have to be on it from the first whistle if we are going to secure the win.
I’m excited to see you all after the match. Hopefully, we’ll be celebrating an important win.
Sometimes in sport, it’s about just securing the win, rather than how you win.
That old adage is certainly true of last weekend’s match for Saracens
Sirens in attendance at HSV.
The Sirens may sit at the bottom of the table without a win to their name, but they have been improving as the season
Mavericks had to work hard for victory over the Sirens up in Scotland earlier in the season and drew a pulsating encounter with them at HSV as part of their preseason campaign, so
with a typically dominant defensive performance and Venter will hope to mark her own landmark of 50 appearances with a similarly strong performance this afternoon.
This afternoon is an important match for Saracens Mavericks.
Whilst the obvious goal of a victory remains there, the small looming matter of three consecutive away games to follow also means that Camilla Buchanan’s side will be determined to put down a marker at home.
A victory today will set the side up well for that crucial away run against Leeds Rhinos, Manchester Thunder and Severn Stars throughout the rest of May.
The school of thought is that the chasing pack may well still have a chance of hunting down fourth place and a coveted play-off berth, but you get the sense that Mavericks will need to string together a strong series of results if they want to add their name to the list of chasers.
A victory this afternoon could see the side to 5th place depending whilst they away fixtures with Rhinos and Stars will potentially be season
Sirens know that they face a defining run of matches too.
Whilst they may be 11 points adrift of 8 Rhinos, they are only two behind Team Bath. Any sort of victory between
now and the time they meet Bath again at the end of May would go a long way to helping Sirens in their battle to avoid last place in the standings.
There’s a lot riding on today’s game for both sides, but just how much will only become apparent in the coming weeks.
It’s been a challenging season so far for Strathclyde Sirens, but on their day, they can mix it with the best.
The team from Scotland may still be without a win to their name this season. However, their draw away to Cardiff Dragons last weekend showed that they are finding their groove in the second part of the season.
This season has been something of a reset for Sirens, with 8 new faces in the core group of 12, as Head Coach Lesley MacDonald has looked to freshen things up after back-to-back 8th place finishes in the league.
That reset looks like it is beginning to come to the fore too, after last weekend’s battling draw away to Cardiff Dragons. Head Coach MacDonald
was left proud of her team’s performance, feeling that her side have started pushing themselves to an upward trajectory.
"Although it finished as a draw, it feels as if they’ve pushed themselves into the right momentum. They are disappointed because they now know that they are capable of winning games. Emily Nicholl had a really calming influence on the team and it allowed them to relax, especially in those high-pressure moments. The back unit as a whole the mid-court defence worked as hard as I have ever seen them work, and they worked for each other.”
Nicholl is one of the faces who remain from the 2023 season, with the Scotland international bringing a calming presence to the
court for her side.
It’s not just Nicholl that Sirens can rely on though.
Hannah Williams has already made 227 feeds this season, with Cerys Finn helping her side out in defence with 32 deflections to her name.
Sammy Ngubane is beginning to make herself at home in the shooting circle too, with 267 goals so far this campaign.
There’s been an emphasis on youth for the Sirens this
season and you feel that they are building for something special in the years to come.
There’s youth right across the court for Sirens, with former Thunder star Millie Sanders one of their defensive recruits this season. At just 22, Sanders already has three years of NSL experience and is part of the England Futures programme, whilst Orkney born Zara Flett has impressed in her debut season having competed for Sirens in the FAST5 tournament over the summer.
Experience has come into the squad too though, with Hannah Leighton arriving from Cardiff Dragons and immediately stepping up as a leader on and off the court.
And then there’s Towera
Vinkhumbo. The Malawi international was one of the most dominant defenders in the league last season and has continued to cause problems for opposition attacks so far this campaign.
With a role this season of mentoring the young talent around her, Vinkhummbo has continued to be a key player for the side.
It’s a milestone afternoon for Ine-Mari Venter, as she prepares to make her 50th appearance for Saracens Mavericks.
Having joined the side in 2021, the South African international has gone from strength-to-strength, establishing herself as one of the premier Goal Shooters in the league.
Despite readying herself to reach the milestone this afternoon, Venter laughed when admitting she wasn’t initially aware that she was so close to the landmark.
“I wasn’t initially aware it was my 50th game for Mavericks, but it’s really special. To have had the chance to call Mavs my family and to reach 50 appearances in the Netball Super League for one club is so special to me. It shows that the club really treats you well. As a player, you want to do well for the club and it’s never easy to reach a milestone like this.”
Last weekend, the side celebrated Razia Quashie’s 100th appearance for the club and Venter admitted that reaching such
milestones was something she didn’t take for granted.
“We celebrated Raz’s 100th last week which is an incredible achievement in itself. It took me 7 or 8 years to reach my 50th cap for the SPAR Proteas, so I know how difficult it is to get caps under your belt. Reaching this milestone for Mavericks means everything. I’m really grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had here at Mavericks.”
Venter has quickly become a key figure within the group, with both her infectious personality and desire to win out on court helping to drive the side forwards. Having been at the club for several
thing she had noticed during her time at the club was the emphasis on professionalism on and off the court.
“Since I started back in 2021, I can see how we’ve been striving for victories. Everything we do is trying to drive netball professionally. We aren’t all professional athletes, but with the players and the backroom staff, we all approach it as if we are and that’s one of the biggest shifts I’ve seen since my time with the club. We’re starting to build towards being a winning team. There are always going to be growing pains, but the small growths have been
evident and most importantly they have been permanent.”
It’s fair to say that there have been some growing pains again this season, with a young squad coming together. Things have begun to click in recent weeks though, with the side reflecting on what might have been away at London Pulse and Loughborough Lightning.
The fact that Mavericks were disappointed not to win either of those games shows their growth as a side and Venter understands that results need to come over the next few weeks if her side are to keep up the chase for the play-off places.
“We know what we can do as a side after those games against Loughborough and Pulse, so the important thing now for us is winning as many games as possible. Sirens is a match we need to win. We know it’s going to be a tough ask today but every game leading into the end of the season is really important for us if we want to reach the playoffs.”
IT’S NEVER EASY TO REACH A MILESTONE LIKE THIS. “
Despite missing the first few games of the season, Venter has quickly made up for lost time.
Last weekend, she notched her 300th goal of the season to move her up to 5th in the overall league standings.
Last season, Venter formed a strong on-field connection with Kira Rothwell and she has done the same again this season with Emma Thacker.
Off the court, she admitted that she was missing Lisa Mather, who returned to New Zealand before the 2024 campaign got underway.
However, Venter highlighted that the bond she had with the team was incredibly strong, before praising the impact that Mather’s replacement Indya Masser has made on the side.
“I just enjoy the team and being with the people in the team. I’m missing Lisa as we grew really close last season, but Indya has made a huge impact coming into the side in her place. I’m so proud of how she has grown, and I think the camaraderie in this time has been so special this season. There’s a real openness to our communication and the relationships we’re building are really special too.”
With a fair chunk of the season still to go, Mavericks and Venter know that they have the ability to keep up the hunt for the top four places. Even if they don’t make it, the bonds they have created this season will go a long way to helping the side again in 2025.
But, with Venter leading the attack, who knows what is still possible in the final rounds this season.
IF
RAZIA QUASHIE CELEBRATES HER 100TH SARACENS MAVERICKS APPEARANCE.
AFTER A PULSATING MATCH AGAINST TEAM BATH U23S, OUR MAVERICKS U23S SIDE ARE BACK IN ACTION THIS AFTERNOON.
Fresh from playing Team Bath last weekend, our U23s are opening proceedings this afternoon against Manchester Thunder.
We must start though, by congratulating Rihanna Luke on being named as the NPL U19 Player of the Season. Rihanna has had a superb year and is fully deserving of the accolade.
Skyla Lynch was also named as the AOC Sport National Netball Player of the Season in the last week.
Both players are part of our defensive end for our NPL U19s side and continue to from strengthto-strength.
Last weekend was a tough outing against a very good Team Bath U23s. It was a fantastic opportunity for the side to play in front of a big crowd before the Netball Super League match against Team Bath and the atmosphere was fantastic throughout.
This was a match that ebbed and flowed throughout, with both sides having opportunities to secure the win.
It was a game that saw many shooting opportunities for both teams from the very first minute. The game was played at a fast and competitive pace with the start of the first quarter going the way of Mavericks 9 goals to 8 after an impressive first 15 minutes that saw the side edge ahead thanks to some superb shooting and superb feeds.
Bath came back into things though, with quick play and back-to-back goal runs to take a 2-goal lead heading into the break.
Mavericks looked to freshen things up in the second period and made several changes to see if that would stem the flow of pressure from the opposition.
Defensively the team were winning a lot of ball, giving opportunities to the attackers to try and close the gap.
However, under extreme pressure from Team Bath, the side struggled to
convert the chances that came their way.
The score remained close throughout the third and final quarters, before Team Bath managed to pull away in the last few minutes of the game, to edge their way to a 6-goal win.
There were chances for Mavericks to win this one and they will look back on chances that they will feel they could have capitalized on.
The team consisted of the following players:
Ciara Lynch (Captain), Caitlin Rump (Vice Captain), Eryn Salako, Eliza Barclay, Kate Henshall, Uchechi Nze, Charlie Dadey, Ellie Oswick, Gill Thomson & Kalea Stagg
On a day where there were plenty of strong performances, Charlotte Dadey was named as Coaches Player of the
Match, whilst Eliza Barclay was named as Players’ Player of the Match.
It’s been a quick turnaround into this afternoon’s fixture against Manchester Thunder U23s, but the side know that there are lots of positives to take into the match, with some small fix-ups on court having been finetuned ahead of taking on Thunder.
It’s going to be another exciting occasion and a chance for our U23s to show what they’ve got.
Peace AKINYEMI
Jodie GIBSON
Vicki OYESOLA
Razia QUASHIE
Georgia LEES
Indya MASSER
Ellie RATTU
Aliyah ZARANYIKA
Cerys FINN
Hannah LEIGHTON
Millie SANDERS
Towera VINKHUMBO
Iona CHRISTIAN
Emma LOVE
Emily NICHOLL
Hannah WILLIAMS
Britney CLARKE
Kira ROTHWELL
Emma THACKER
Ine-Mari VENTER
Cerys CAIRNS
Zara FLEET
Bethan GOODWIN
Sammy NGUBANE
