Team Bath Netball and Saracens Mavericks are pushing for play-off netball and are level on points in the table; Bath occupy fourth position on goal difference; Friday's contest will be streamed live on the Sky Sports YouTube channel at 7.30pm
Friday 29 April 2022 13:16, UK
Team Bath Netball and Saracens Mavericks are set for key clash on Friday night as both continue their quest for a Vitality Netball Superleague play-off spot.
The two outfits are meeting at the Team Bath Arena in a fixture rearranged due to Covid-19. Both teams go into the match level on points in the table, with Bath occupying fourth position courtesy of their superior goal difference.
Saracens Mavericks have a game in hand and were the only team to do the double over the Blue & Gold during the 2021 Superleague campaign.
For both teams, the encounter marks the start of a double-header weekend; Bath travel to Belle Vue to face Manchester Thunder on Monday night, when Mavericks host Loughborough Lightning.
"The old cliche is that every match is important," Anna Stembridge, Team Bath Netball's head coach said. "That's certainly true, but there's no denying this is a really big game for both teams, with the league being as tight as it is.
"There is no room for error and it's not just about us gaining points, but also taking points off others. There is so much history between the two clubs and I know this is a match the fans always look forward to.
"The girls are really fired up too, as you would expect, and the big games are the ones that have brought out the best in us this season."
Team Bath Netball are continuing to navigate their way through a Superleague season that's been filled with unexpected news.
England international Serena Guthrie announced her pregnancy and retirement from netball, and Stembridge recently announced that she will be stepping down as head coach at the end of the season.
Team Bath Netball are the most decorated in Superleague history, having secured five titles, but they've not won one for eight years. The team's run-in until the end of the regular season provides them with little room for error, something Stembridge is relishing.
"Four of our last six fixtures are against sides in contention for the top-four places and two of those games are against Mavericks," the head coach noted.
"Some might look at that as being a tough run-in, but it is the kind of challenge you want, if you are going to make the play-offs. Every game is going to be a like a final and we are ready for it."
Saracens Mavericks are aiming to secure their first top-four finish since 2017.
A loss against London Pulse at the Spring Showdown in Birmingham halted a run of three successive victories. Head coach Kat Ratnapala said the team "weren't themselves" at the Resorts World Arena and highlighted that they didn't take their opportunities through to goal as they should have.
Ahead of Friday's encounter with Bath, all eyes will be on Mavericks' team sheet to see if international shooter Ine-Mari Venter is back following injury.
In defence, Razia Quashie and Jodie Gibson will want to continue to raise their games, in the same way England's internationals have been doing out in Australia. Temalisi Fakahokotau provides a new option that Bath haven't faced yet too.
The match will be streamed live on the Sky Sports YouTube channel, with Team Bath Netball's encounter against Manchester Thunder being shown live on Sky Sports on Monday night.
Elsewhere this weekend, Surrey Storm have a two-match weekend after their bye week. The team host Strathclyde Sirens on Saturday afternoon before travelling to the Coventry Building Society Arena on Sunday.
Severn Stars are hosting London Pulse on Saturday, before making the trip up to Glasgow to meet Strathclyde Sirens on Monday.
Leeds Rhinos Netball and Loughborough Lightning commence the action on Friday night with their rearranged fixture at the Allam Sports Centre.
