LIVE BLOG: Team Bath beat Mavericks 49-42

Team Bath are taking on perennial rivals Hertfordshire Mavericks in tonight’s Vitality Netball Superleague Super 10 finale.  The match is a repeat of the last season’s bronze medal encounter.  If you can’t follow us on Sky you might like this new live blog.

Earlier today Loughborough Lightning beat Severn Stars 56-44,  Wasps beat Team Northumbria 70-46, Sirens beat Dragons 73-36.

The closest match of the round before the Blue and Gold took to the court with Mavs came between last year’s finalists Manchester Thunder and Surrey Storm with things more or less all square going into the final quarter before Storm eased away to win 58-48.

Tonight’s match first half:

Q1: 

20:00 And we’re off!

20.13: The Blue and Gold have a 10-8 lead. They had a four-goal margin for a while in the middle of the quarter.

20:14:  Now it’s 10-10 and then 11-10.  The umpire takes the captains aside and tells them to calm their players down as it’s a  fiercely contested match.

20:15.  Smashed it. Chelsea Lewis puts the penalty shot away to give Team Bath a 12-10 lead at quarter-time.

Q2:  

Sam Cook comes on at wing-defence for Vangelee but Mavericks take first blood to go 11-12.  Team Bath counter to move to 13-11 but Mavericks hit back to level at 13-13.

20.25:  It’s 14-apeice.  Rudland misses a long-range penalty shot at 14-15 but Lewis fouled so Team Bath level at 15-15.  Great turn-over by Guscoth and then the Blue and Gold are patient to break down the Mavs defence and go 17-16 up. Fantastic crowd for this final match of the day in the Genting Arena.  Live on Sky, too.

20:29. Team Bath had the chance to go 18-16 ahead but a rare Lewis miss allows Mavericks to come back and level at 17-17.

20:32.  Play is swinging back and forth both sides pulling off some great turn-overs.   With three minutes of the half remaining it’s 19-18 to Mavericks

20:34  Fab play around the circle from Rachel Shaw as she feeds Lewis to bring the score to 19-19. Mavericks turn over the turn-over in a whacky sequence of play to go 20-19 ahead and then 22-19 in a mini-surge.

20:36.  Pure gold, as Team Bath beat the clock with a flying move to find a final goal of the half and go to the break just one goal adrift at 21-22. All to play for in the final 30 minutes.

Q3:  

Shantal Slater comes on at GS and Chelsea Lewis moves to GA. Imogen Allison replaces Cook at WD.

20:49:  Mavericks have taken an early lead in the third quarter. They are 24-21 ahead.  Still some stuttering shooting from Team Bath but Lewis has pulled one back to 22-24.

20:53:  Two great turn-overs and Team Bath are back level at 25-apeice.

20:55:  Team Buth might be a goal adrift still and struggling to find consistency in the shooting but it’s the Team Bath supporters you can hear.  Way to go the #Blue and Gold.

20:57:  Slater scores to bring Team Bath level at 29-29 and there’s a turn-over but the umpire is not happy with some the physicality.

21:01:  It’s been a tense and hard-fought quarter so far. Big cheer for the blue and gold seats a Team Bath level at 31-31 and another roar as they turn over with just under three minutes to go.

21:04.  Lewis had the chance to put the University of Bath-based and Sitec-Sponsored Team Bath 33-31 ahead instead it goes to 32-32 with 40 seconds to go before Bath snatch the lead back 33-32.

21:05:  Bizarre sequence with the players appearing confused by the umpire’s decisions in the dying seconds but it remains 33-32 to Team Bath at the end of the quarter.

Q4:

21:10 First blood to Team Bath as they turn-over the opening centre pass and convert before moving out to a 35-32 lead.   Great support from the blue and gold army who are not leaving any time soon.  Great pressure from Bath sees Mavericks lose the ball to the touchline.  Could that be a tipping point – perhaps not as Mavericks get the ball back. It’s 35-34 to Bah.

21: 13:  Route one stuff from Shaw to Lewis, assisted earlier by Ritchie as team Bath pop one home to lead by two again.  It’s 36-34 and that’s the platform that helps Bath move to 37-34 and turn-over another ball in defence.

21:15.  Superb athleticism from Shaw and a nice, quirky sideway slew from Slater to Lewis and Team Bath go five goals up at 39-34.

21:17  The Team Bath bench are off their feet and roaring as Team Bath surge to 41-35 with just over seven and a half minutes remaining. It’s stirring stuff.

21:19 …..and it’s 44-36 to the Blue and Gold.  Just under six minutes to go. Come on Team Bath!

21:20:  Shaw is called up for travelling off the Team Bath centre pass to give Mavericks a glimmer of hope. They move to 38-45 with a great move.

21:22  Two and a half minutes to go. Team Bath have given away ball in the past 60 seconds but now stretch out to 46-39.

21:26.  Game over and it’s a 49-42 win for Team Bath.  Great to add this win to that against Celtic Dragons last weekend.  Now for our opening home match:  March 6 v Loughborough Lightning at the Sports Training Village. Doors open at 18.45.

Team Bath Starting Seven:

GS: Chelsea Lewis; GA: Laura Rudland; WA:  Rachel Shaw; C:  Mia Ritchie; WD:  Vangelee Williams; GD:  Layla Guscoth; GK: Eboni Beckford Chambers.

Substitutions:  Q2:  Bench – WD:  Sam Cook;  WD – Bench Vangalee Williams. Q3:  WD Imogen Allison.

Hertfordshire Mavericks Starting Seven:

GS:  Vicklyn Joseph; GA:  Sophie Hankin; WA: Michelle Drayne; C:  Keshia Grant; WD:  Zara Everitt; GD:  Razia Quashie; GK: Summer Artman