Welcome to Herts Sports Village for this afternoon’s clash with Team Bath.
We’ve looked to reset in the last few weeks and have put in two really strong performances against London Pulse and Loughborough Lightning.
The winner in you obviously wants to take the points from fixtures that are as close as the previous two have been, but there have been some real triumphs in terms of individual performances and how we’ve stuck to task throughout the full 60 minutes.
To know that we are back in front of our home fans this afternoon will give the squad that added level of motivation to try and secure the victory against a Team Bath side that are constantly improving.
This has been my first time to write since The Headliner at OVO Arena Wembley. It was such a special day and one that none of us will forget
any time soon. To have over 2,500 fans inside the arena roaring us on was incredible and hopefully a sign of things to come for our sport and this club.
We’re backing that up again today with our biggest ever crowd at Herts Sports Village and I know that you will all be willing the girls on every step of the way.
It gets said a lot, but your support really does add to the energy on court. The noise that comes from the stands after a crucial goal or a turnover always gives the group that extra level of motivation.
I’m so excited for this fixture this afternoon. We’re eager to keep on the upward trajectory we’ve been on in recent weeks and give you all a victory to cheer from your seats.
I also want to take this chance to congratulate Razia Quashie on her 100th appearance for the club. She epitomises what it means to be a Mavericks and is integral to this side.
It’s been a hectic schedule recently, with matches against both of last season’s finalists in the space of five days.
As a group, we know that we had chances to take victory in both of those games, but whilst we weren’t quite able to get over the finish line, it fills me with confidence to know that we performed the way we have away from home against two of the top sides in the league.
I love this second part of the season. Everybody has played against each other now, so there’s an added element when you play a side of having a pretty good idea of what you’re coming up against.
The same is true for our opponents too and that makes for such an interesting dynamic on the court.
It also presents us with a chance to improve things that didn’t quite go as we
would have wanted in the previous games against the sides we are facing.
Last time we faced Team Bath was off the back of a squad reset and we were thrilled with the performance we were able to put out on court.
We’ve only grown as a side since that match and we’re looking to continue to develop and evolve throughout the second half of the season.
There’s competition for places right across the court and those connections that we’ve been working on are beginning to come to the fore.
It’s an exciting period to be involved with this squad. We’ve been pleased with our recent performances, but we know we can still add more to our game. As a player, that’s so exciting and I’m hoping you’ll see more of that today out on the court.
Two sides meet at Herts Sports Village this afternoon who will be desperate to secure a win to ignite their campaigns.
Whilst this may be 8th vs 9th in the Netball Super
move down the table, knowing that you need to keep pace with those above you.
Saracens Mavericks secured the win last time these two sides played, as
them, precious points on the board.
They’ll be searching for a fourth victory of the campaign this afternoon in front of a record crowd for a Netball Super League
her time at Mavericks with a home victory.
This Team Bath side is a very different one to last season though. Whilst the club has previous successes to their name in the league, the last few seasons have been tough ones for Asha Francis’ side.
They are continuing to produce some superb young talent but lost several of those young chargers in the off-season.
It’s been a reset again for the visitors this season, with only an opening day victory over Strathclyde Sirens to show for their efforts this campaign.
Even in defeat, they are a side that score plenty of goals though, so expect this one to be a highscoring and entertaining
battle throughout the afternoon.
Remarkably, two of Mavericks’ three wins this season have come away from home, with Leeds Rhinos the side to leave Herts Sports Village having been handed a loss.
After this afternoon’s fixture, Mavericks welcome Strathclyde Sirens to Herts Sports Village the following weekend. The hope will be that they will be able to secure back back home wins to help boost them up the table, but in this league, especially this season, nothing is ever certain.
Things are beginning to click though and the senior players within this Mavericks squad have been leading from the front all season long.
It’s the youngsters though who are now also rising to the fore. Both Aliyah Zaranyika and Indya Masser have been putting in headline-grabbing performances of late and
Team Bath may be sitting
th place in the league, but they are a side that are constantly developing and asking questions of those around them. It’s just a matter of time until their efforts transfer into victories in the Netball Super League.
Team Bath have a rich history in this competition. Indeed, they are in the most successful team with five titles to their name, the, last of which coming in 2013.
Recent seasons have seen the side lower down the league table than they would have hoped though. Last season, the side finished ninth with four wins to their name, following a fourth place finish the season before.
This season, four new faces have joined the side, with Sloan Burton and Lisa
Putt making the move from the Southern Hemisphere, whilst Scotland international Emma Barrie and Academy product Ellie Ervine have also joined the 12-player squad. Tash Pavelin has also made a welcome return to the
side, having been ruled out of the 2023 campaign through injury, whilst former Maverick Kadeen Corbin has continued in her role as a player-coach.
This season and last have been about starting a new journey for Team Bath, with Head Coach Asha Francis explaining that they have put their trust in youth, as they seek to climb the league table.
““This is Year two of our four-year plan. Last season saw us plant the seeds of change and now it’s about growing the roots and cementing the
connections as we develop the new Team Bath way. It was important to have a large cohort of players returning from last season so we can build on what we started in 2023. They can see the value of our long-term plan and want to continue pushing and developing both as individuals and a group.”
Whilst Bath have just that solitary opening day victory to their name thus far, there have been signs that things are starting to further develop.
Tash Pavelin ranks alongside Razia Quashie with 14 intercepts so far this season, whilst also picking up 29 deflections.
Bethan Dyke has been at the forefront of creating chances for the shooters with 258 feeds as well and you only feel that it is a matter of time before the side are able to start converting the opportunities they are creating into more goals and with that, more victories to their name.
When these two sides met earlier in the season, it was a challenging evening for Mavericks, with the returning Ine-Mari Venter having to work hard for space and shooting opportunities in the circle, before Camilla Buchanan’s side ultimately pulled clear to seal the win away from home. Bath will be hoping to return the favour today.
Sloan Burton has been getting up to speed in the NSL, but she has developed a promising partnership with Sophie Kelly in recent weeks and Team Bath fans will be hoping that there is more to come from those two in the second half of the season.
With Phoebe Maslen also starting to come into her own, this could be the start of a bright future ahead for the side.
Club captain Jodie Gibson has been leading from the front from the very first pass of the 2024 season.
Taking over from Sasha Corbin, Gibson has led a new-look side with the poise and composure of someone who has been in the role for years.
Now halfway through her first campaign as Mavericks captain, Gibson has had time to acclimatise herself to the role but feels that she has made an effort to put the players first throughout the campaign, developing a strong leadership role alongside Georgia Lees.
“When I was appointed as captain, I knew that I wanted to be a captain who advocates for the players. I want to make sure that everyone feels valued. That’s not changed since I’ve become captain, that’s always been my philosophy. I want to ensure that everyone has a voice, and everyone is able to contribute. It’s been great leading with Georgia. We’ve both got the same love and passion for the team which always helps, and the group are great to lead!”
Gibson readily admits that she is always striving to be the best version of herself and highlighted that she is constantly learning from those around her.
“I’m going to continue to develop as a leader too. I’m always learning about myself from the younger players and those at a similar stage to their career as myself. I want to constantly learn and develop to be the best version of myself.”
Whilst Mavericks entered the season with aspirations of securing a spot in the top four, results thus far have not been as hoped. Gibson still feels that the future is bright for her side though and noted that the group had
the challenges they have faced thus far.
“It’s not been without adversity this season in terms of results for us. Our focus has been to right the wrongs from last season, and I think that we have to be honest to ourselves and say that we haven’t achieved what we could and should have done so far this year. As a group though, we’ve become stronger for it. We have a real intent around what we want to achieve, which we’ve seen in the last few games. I believe that this is the turning point now for us as a side and I can’t wait to lead the team for the rest of the season and beyond, knowing what we can do.”
Gibson has found herself playing at Wing Defence at times this season after the arrival of Vicki Oyseola, whilst continuing to develop her connections on court with Razia Quashie and Aliyah Zaranyika.
The skipper revealed that she jumped for joy upon hearing that Oyesola was returning to the club and explained how much she relishes playing with the defensive players around her.
“I’ve loved playing with Vicki, Raz and Aliyah. I was ecstatic when I heard we’d recruited Vicki. She was incredible last season and someone that I had always been hyping up on social media! Last season, she played incredibly and to know she wanted to come to Mavs was so exciting. We’ve been developing partnerships from previous seasons and adding in a new dynamic with Vicki as well. I’ve found myself back in the circle with Raz at times this season and I’ve loved it. I enjoy playing alongside her so much and she brings out the best in me. I think I bring out the best in her too. We all
The NSL season is one that always flies by. With the second half of the campaign already in full swing, Gibson explained that the goals the side set out for themselves at the start of the season have not changed.
“Our goals remain the same. We want to keep taking it to these teams that have been in the finals time and time again. We want to put in
WE’RE PUSHING AND DRIVING WHAT SARACENS ARE KNOWN FOR ACROSS SPORT. “
and we’re constantly learning every week.”
With seven games of the season to go after this weekend, Gibson wants her side to continue to show what it means to be a Saracen every time they play. She wants her team to do that though with a smile on their faces, savouring every moment.
“We’re still pushing and driving what Saracens as a club are known for. It’s about the excellence in sport and looking after people and that goes beyond netball. Saracens as a club want to be the best. We’ve not reflected that at times, but we’re looking to celebrate the incremental growth that we know we are going to make in the second half of the season. We want to enjoy it too. It’s easy to forgot that you play sport for the love of it and as a group, we want to focus and really enjoy our time out on court.”
INE-MARI VENTER SCORES FROM DISTANCE AGAINST LOUGHBOROUGH LIGHTNING
IT’S BEEN AN INCREDIBLE END TO THE SEASON FOR OUR PATHWAY SIDES.
The Under 21s finish runners up in the NPL season for the first time since the U21 league inception. It has been great to see the players on court give their best at training and in matches.
The Under 21s were coached by Sachel Grant, Head Coach and Kendra Slawinski (Assistant
squad included: Pippa Dixon (Captain), Lola Stevens (Vice captain), Molly Morrissey, Justine Sansom, Anna Peace
Akinyemi, Tillie Irvine, Lucy Monika
Grace
Charlotte
May Seldis, Ella Verchelle
Robinson, Eden Hill, Skyla Lynch, Dara Adu, Phoebe Ecuyer-Dale, Izzy Howse & Emma Thacker.
The Under 19 lost one game all season to the eventual winners of the league London Pulse however fantastic performances with 8 wins for the season. The squad is coached by Tamsin Greenway with assistant
The squad of 20 include: Rihanna Luke (Captain), Gracie Smith (Vice Captain) , Melissa Zawe, Gracie Sigrist, Grace Twyman, Charlotte Taylor, Azara Wilmot, Katherine Mansfield, Sadie Clemence, Rae Nelson, Aramide Ajayi, Millie Burns, Tia Cooke, Flo Swanton, Skyla Lynch, Erin Taylor, Charlotte Clay, Niamh Westwood, Olivia Pitt & Tabi Grime
Both squads travelled the length and breadth of the country from Bath to Gateshead and put in performances that all could be proud. With the final games of the season, it was all to play for. Both games were against Loughborough Lightning who were competitive and resilient .
It’s a fantastic achievement winning two silver medals in the NPL league this season.
Our U17s finished fourth in their league. The squad have worked hard this season with many coming through the pathway. The
by Liam Ferns with Emily Drackford as assistant and Julia Kay team manager. The squad consists of Tash Holden (Captain), Lexi Broadgate Matthews (Vice Catain) Cara Conway - Baker, Onyi Nze, Ella Crew, Emma Adsley, Juliette Gibbs, Ella Marchant, Mia Brennan, Charlotte Webster, Issy Ferguson, Sienna Lewis, Sofia Prudence, Freya Holden, Eti King, Sacha Mbome, Anna Mottram, Surianne Griffith, Sadie Clemence & Rae Nelson.
We are excited to see this group at the NPL tournament in July along with the Under 19s and 21s.
Congratulations to all players who took part in the three leagues this season and also players who pushed to be the best they could be in the training and match play environments.
Our Futures Under 15s and Under 18s along with the Player Development
Programs have now finished their season with match play on Saturday, so all teams play against each other and after which we had end of season awards. They were given out for Players of the Season and Most Improved of the season as well as three special recognition awards for players who are in the under 17 squad who stood out in their different environments.
Congratulations to Basildon Futures who remained unbeaten all season.
Peace AKINYEMI
Jodie GIBSON
Vicki OYESOLA
Razia QUASHIE
Georgia LEES
Indya MASSER
Ellie RATTU
Aliyah ZARANYIKA
Britney CLARKE
Kira ROTHWELL
Emma THACKER
Ine-Mari VENTER
Lilly-May CATLING
Tash PAVELIN
Jayda PECHOVA
Lisa PUTT
Bethan DYKE
Ellie ERVINE
Kirsty HARRIS
Phoebe MASLEN
Emma BARRIE
Sloan BURTON
Kadeen CORBIN
Sophie KELLY
