Photo Credit: Benjamin Brain
The Netball Super League regular season came to an end this week, with AO Manchester Thunder beating Loughborough Lightning to claim the league’s top spot.
You can view the final league table, here.
The Soft & Gentle Semi-Finals are now all lined up for the 6th June with the Major Semi -Final between Thunder and London Pulse and the Minor Semi-Final seeing Lightning take on Nottingham Forest.
International fans will be able to watch both Soft & Gentle Semi-Finals as well as the Preliminary Final and Grand Final on NetballPass* with Finals passes on sale now for just £4.95 GBP, here.
But first, here is Round 14’s International Player Watch:
NIC Leeds Rhinos vs Birmingham Panthers
First up, the bottom two teams in the table NIC Leeds Rhinos and Birmingham Panthers went head-to-head playing for their pride and a positive end to the season.
It was Panthers that pounced first in this clash, with England Rose Izzy Kaye and Welsh Feather Besty Creak once again on fine form for the visitors.
Creak scored 50 goals, whilst Kaye acted as the play maker in the middle showing just why she has been selected for the recent England Roses A programme.
Panthers went on to win the match 67 – 43, keeping Rhinos to their lowest goal scoring tally in a game this season.
The win for Panthers means that it is Rhinos that finished the table at the bottom.
You can catch up on this match on NetballPass*, here.
London Mavericks vs LexisNexis Dragons
LexisNexis Dragons ended their best season in over a decade on a high as they beat London Mavericks 50 – 57.
Dragons have seemed to get better and better week on week this season, winning four of their last five fixtures.
The win meand that Dragons finish the league in 5th, whislt Mavericks had to settle for 6th.
One international player that made a real difference for Dragons this season was Welsh Feather, Bethan Dyke.
Dyke’s leadership experience and netball skills have been invaluable to Dragons, and in this game alone she made 44 feeds into the circle taking her season tally up to 450 and putting her 2nd in the statistic charts for feeds.
You can catch up on this match on NetballPass*, here.
Manchester Thunder vs Loughborough Lightning
With the league top spot and a space in the Soft & Gentle Major Semi-Final still available, a dramatic end to the season was in store for Manchester Thunder and Loughborough Lightning.
It was clear from the first whistle that neither team was going to give up without a fight.
It wasn’t until the final six seconds that Thunder were able to secure the victory after Australian Sophie Fawns collected a rebound from a missed Eleanor Cardwell Amex Super Shot and scored the winning goal from just underneath the post.
The 68 – 67 win means that Thunder finish top of the league and will host London Pulse in the Soft & Gentle Major Semi-Final, whilst Loughborough Lightning finish 3rd and will host Nottingham Forest in the Soft & Gentle Minor Semi-Final.
You can catch up on this match on NetballPass*, here.
Nottingham Forest vs London Pulse
London Pulse confirmed their spot in the Soft & Gentle Major Semi-Final with a 51 – 62 victory over fellow Finalists Nottingham Forest.
It was a controlled performance from Pulse as they showed their strength and experience, gradually building up their lead across the four quarters.
At the centre of that performance was England Rose Liv Tchine who score 48 goals on what was her 100th NSL game.
Another Pulse player that did not miss a beat was Zara Everitt as she set the tone for the game and was always the safe pair of hands at wing defence where she made four deflections.
You can catch up on this match on NetballPass*, here.
Next up, the Soft & Gentle Major Semi-Final will take place on NetballPass* on the 6th June, followed by the Preliminary Final on the 13th and Grand Final on the 20th.
Head to NetballPass* to purchase your £4.95 Finals pass, here.
*Restrictions are in place – *Viewers in the England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Gibraltar, France and Poland will not be able to watch via NetballPass. Those in the UK will be able to watch all games across Sky Sports and BBC Sport, with more information here.