Wasps Netball return to winning ways with victory over Severn Stars in the Vitality Netball Superleague
Monday 11 March 2019 17:07, UK
Wasps Netball returned to winning ways with victory over West Midlands rivals Severn Stars in the Vitality Netball Superleague on Sunday.
The Black and Golds' seven-game winning run came to an end against Manchester Thunder on Wednesday - in what was their first loss of the season.
But they bounced back in supreme style at Ricoh Arena with a 54-47 success to move three points clear at the top of the standings.
The fixture marked the midway point of the season and after building a 32-22 lead by half-time Wasps appeared to be in control until Stars battled back in the third quarter to close the gap to within five goals.
But Mel Mansfield's outfit stayed calm to see out the win and maintain their position at the top of the table, three points ahead of the chasing duo of Manchester Thunder and Saracens Mavericks.
Stars stay put in eighth position and next face a trip to bottom side London Pulse on Saturday, March 16.
After the match, Wasps' head coach gave a frank reaction to their victory.
"It's good to get the win. I'm not particularly happy with the performance but at the end of the day, the three points is what matters," said Mansfield.
"I didn't feel we were going to lose it but we let them get back into the game in the third quarter, which has typically been a strong quarter for us this season.
"However, we came through the pressure and played well in the final quarter to come away with the win. We had the benefit of playing at home with fantastic support to push us forward when it got tight.
"We'll be looking at why we faltered in the third-quarter and will put that right before we play Loughborough Lightning next Monday."
Watch more Vitality Netball Superleague action when London Pulse host Team Bath on Monday, March 11 live on Sky Sports Action & Sky Sports Mix from 7.15pm. Also, Sky Sports will be showing every game of the 2019 Vitality Netball World Cup in July.
