
NSL Unwrapped: Lightning and Pulse secure top four
Lightning beat LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons while Pulse defeated Birmingham Panthers.
London Mavericks took a huge step forward in the battle for fourth as they beat Nottingham
Forest while Manchester Thunder took the northern bragging rights with victory over NIC Leeds Rhinos.
Lightning secure top four
Loughborough Lightning became the first team to book their places in the Netball Super League Play-Offs with a 71-54 victory.
Samantha Wallace-Joseph led the scoring for the visitors at the Utilita Arena in the Welsh capital as she was rewarded with the Kissimmee Player of the Match.
Down the other end of the court, Alice Harvey helped to restrict the Dragons shooters, who shot at 81% compared with Lightning's 93%.
Pulse pounce on Panthers to make play-offs
London Pulse secured their spot in the semi-finals with a 63-58 win over Birmingham Panthers.
The hosts found themselves behind after the first quarter as Panthers were clinical from within the goal area, before Pulse responded to lead at the break.
The team in pink slowly eked out a greater gap as changes to their seven proved fruitful.
And despite Panthers piling on the pressure late on, Pulse did enough to come away with a narrow win.
Mavericks make their mark
London Mavericks staked their claim for a top four spot as they defeated Nottingham Forest 57-48.
Emily Andrew was at her free scoring best with 42 goals, but it was Razia Quashie who stole the show as she restricted Forest's star shooter Rolene Streutker to just 21 goals.
The result pushed Mavericks six points clear of Forest in fifth with three games of the regular season left to play.
Thunder win War of the Roses
Manchester Thunder triumphed in a 69-55 win over northern rivals NIC Leeds Rhinos.
The away side made a lightning-fast start at the First Direct Arena in Leeds as quick scoring and a buzzer-beating goal from Elmeré van der Berg pushed Thunder out to an 11-point lead after the first 15 minutes.
The northwest-based outfit further increased their advantage before Rhinos were able to get a foothold on proceedings, reducing the deficit to just six at half time.
There was an immediate reaction in the third quarter as Manchester Thunder's defence began to turn the screw.
The gap remained thanks to a professional performance in the final quarter from Thunder who saw out their eighth win of the season.
History made at the Copper Box
England Thorns made history as they took on the Australian Kelpies in the curtain-raiser to Pulse's match on Sunday.
Their 63-34 defeat to the team from Down Under marked the first match in a maiden series between England and Australia on English soil.
The final two matches of the three-game Aurora Series will take place next weekend, with the Thorns taking on the Kelpies before Loughborough Lightning and London Pulse's home matches in Round 12.
To keep up with the latest news, make sure to follow the @NetballSL on X, Instagram and TikTok, Netball Super League on Facebook and LinkedIn, and subscribe to our newsletter.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Wales Online
an hour ago
- Wales Online
Wales fan falls from upper tier of stadium during Belgium match
Wales fan falls from upper tier of stadium during Belgium match Eyewitnesses reported a 'loud thud and huge commotion' during the second half of Wales' late defeat to Belgium in Brussels on Monday night Wales fans at the UEFA World Cup Qualifying match at the Stade Roi Baudouin in Brussels, Belgium (Image: PA ) A Welsh football fan has been injured in an incident during Wales' World Cup qualifying match against Belgium. Late in the second half of the game at the Stade Roi Baudouin in Brussels reports emerged that a fan had fallen from the top tier of the stadium into the tier below. One group of fans said an ambulance at the stadium was treating the injured supporter who has been taken to hospital. They added some fans were 'clearly emotional' and in tears as concern grew for the injured person. Wales had more than 4,000 fans inside the stadium when the supporter fell from a higher tier into another group of supporters who were situated in the section below. Ian Hamer, who was at the game as a fan, told BBC Radio Wales that just after Wales scored their third goal "there was a loud thud just to our right and huge commotion in the lower tier. "Police, stewards, paramedics rushed into that area and three, four rows were cordoned off. "Word got around quickly that a Wales fan had fallen from the front of the top tier into the lower tier of the stadium and had landed, had sort of clipped some fans as he fell. Article continues below "The next sort of 15 minutes the paramedics were treating the man and eventually they took him out on a stretcher and brought an ambulance to the back of the concourse, blue lights flashing from where he was taken to hospital after the game. "Everyone's relieved to know that the man who fell is ok." The incident was not captured by TV crews covering the match, which Craig Bellamy's side dramatically lost 4-3 having come back to 3-3 from being 3-0 down inside the opening 27 minutes. You can read more about the game itself here. The Football Association of Wales said in a statement: "We can confirm that one male fan fell from the upper to lower tier during the match at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels this evening. "He was conscious and speaking and has now been taken to hospital for further checks." Article continues below Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here .


Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
‘Fighter' Nico Raskin hailed again as Rangers hero brings curtain down on campaign with crucial cameo in big Belgium win
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) RANGERS hero Nico Raskin was hailed by boss Rudi Garcia after his introduction helped power Belgium to a thrilling 4-3 win over Wales. The French-born gaffer held the Ibrox hero in reserve for the clash against Craig Bellamy's side and it looked like an easy end to the season for him as the Belgians coasted into a 3-0 lead in Brussels. Sign up for the Rangers newsletter Sign up 2 Nico Raskin celebrates with Alexis Saelemaekers and Youri Tielemans Credit: Getty 2 Raskin in action Credit: Getty Romelu Lukaku, Youri Tielemans and Jeremy Doku all netted as the hosts ran riot in the opening half and hour. But Harry Wilson's penalty in added time in first half changed the complexion of the game. And then a spirited Wales side came roaring back through Sorba Thomas and Brennan Johnson to level with 20 minutes left. It was then that Raskin entered the fray for Dodi Lukebakio, making an instant impact with a cynical yellow card for hauling back Thomas. He thought he had a hand in the winner but Lukaku's 'goal' was ruled out for a lengthy VAR check. But a stellar campaign ended in another win when Kevin de Bruyne popped up in the 89th minute as Belgium recorded the win which is massive in the context of their World Cup qualifying group. Raskin's long term Ibrox future, of course, is a source of uncertainty - with the Gers desperate to either get him to prolong his stay or cash in on a player before he enters the final year of his deal. But performances like these on the international stage won't do anyone any harm. Garcia said afterwards: "Nicolas Raskin's entry was important because we needed fighters on the pitch. "To give away a lead like that, I don't know if it's something mentally, but I'll talk with the players. Rangers boss Barry Ferguson reveals why he's 'had a few arguments' with Ibrox ace Nicolas Raskin "They have showed that they know what to do in the first half. Now, they just need to keep that up for 90 minutes." And Belgian fans were loving his contribution, particularly when it comes to interceptions. One wrote: "Nicolas Raskin in 4 matches with the Red Devils is: "223 minutes on the pitch 1 goal conceded "163 minutes on the bench 6 goals conceded." Next up for Raskin and Belgium is the Liechtenstein team which Scotland made light work of last night. Another man on the Rangers payroll, Welsh winger Rabbi Matondo, entered the fray in the dying minutes. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page


Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Nico Raskin earns swooning review as Rangers mate showered in love amid £5m transfer exit push
The 24-year-old capped off the best season of his career with a game-changing cameo in the 4-3 win over Wales Beaming Rudi Garcia has waxed lyrical about game-changing Nico Raskin after the Rangers star once again made a telling impact for his national team. The 24-year-old capped off the best season of his career with a game-changing cameo in the 4-3 win over Wales as he helped re-address the balance after the Red Devils coughed up a 3-0 lead in Brussels. Raskin was a surprise omission from the starting XI but made the most of his 15-minute cameo with the game all square before Kevin De Bruyne broke Welsh hearts. The Ibrox star – expected to garner serious transfer interest this summer with two years left on his deal – once again received a glowing appraisal from Garcia. The Belgium boss, speaking on a raft of changes during the game, said: "It didn't prove me right at first, but it was better afterwards. The two periods of change were important, by the way (Nicolas Raskin then Alexis Saelemaekers). It's positive because the players proved they could move forward. "Nicolas Raskin's entry (in place of Dodi Lukebakio, who had already come on) was important because we needed fighters on the pitch. Jeremy Doku? He was the catalyst. He's reached a high level in the last two matches." And even when saluting national icon De Bruyne, Garcia couldn't help but once again lavish praise on Raskin and his telling impact in the closing stages of a vital World Cup qualifying win. He added: "It's symbolic Kevin De Bruyne ultimately scored the fourth. Nicolas Raskin 's return helped us get back in control of the game. He stabilised the team, and Alexis Saelemaekers, who can do a bit of everything, helped us finish well." Meanwhile, Cyriel Dessers parked frenzied speculation surrounding his own future as he married sweetheart Rosalie de Ruysscher in Italy over the weekend. That would be a £500k profit on the Nigeria international under Michael Beale after he was signed from Cremonese in the summer of 2023.