NVL review (9th and 10th November) - Knights and Staffs continue bright starts

Their matches were part of a busy round of matches up and country as the league tables across the divisions continue to take shape.

In Women’s Division 1, there were six fixtures, at both ends of the table, with unbeaten teams Essex Trinity (Saturday, (25-21, 25-11, 25-17) and Newcastle Knights (Sunday, 25-16, 25-14, 25-17) maintaining their records at the top end with respective viictories over Southampton.

Essex also hosted Coventry and Warwick Riga on Sunday with their sights set on another win.

They started strongly, taking the opening set 25-22 and following up with a decisive 25-15 in the second, but Riga fought back in the third, showcasing the experience they gained last season in the MAAREE Women’s Super League to win it 25-23 scoreline.

However, they could not sustain their momentum in the fourth and the hosts regained control to cloe out the match 25-14.

Essex and Newcastle both have a maximum three wins from three, but the Knights, who are yet to drop a set have a point advantage.

Southampton, meanwhile, sit at the bottom of the table without a point in four matches, but will be looking to regroup in the matches ahead.

The South Coast club's next fixture is at Stockport, who were aiming to recapture last year’s form when they hosted a Richmond side in search of their first win of the season. 

Stockport flew out of the blocks to claim the opening set 25-18 opening set, but Richmond answered with a 25-19 second set win.

From then on, the Greater Manchester side were in the ascendency to secure the third and fourth sets (25-14, 25-18) to ensure they have a positive 2-1 record.

Everton Belugas handed Richmond a second 3-1 defeat in the North West on Sunday to bounce back from their own 3-1 loss to London Giants the previous day.

For the Giants it was a satisfying return to form after suffering their first league defeat in more than a year against Newcastle last week, having gone through Division 2 south being undefeated in 2023-24.

In Division 2 North, The Miners Doncaster suffered their first defeat of the season to Sheffield, but they pushed the match to five sets before losing by an agonising 17-15, meaning they at least secured a point from the encounter.

Division 2 East saw Dartford Chargers narrowly defeat Herts in a thrilling match that required two sets to be won by just two points (29-27, 27-25) after their initial 25-22 first-set win.

In Division 2 West, Team South Wales (pictured top and below) lead the table on five points after a convincing 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-23) win over Black Country - and have dropped only two sets so far.

Bristol trail close behind by one point after a 3-0 victory over Bedminster and are level on points with two other teams.

Division 3 North saw competitive action, with Manchester Moss Side, York Falcons, and Manchester Liberators playing 14 sets over three matches. Liberators emerged as the only team to claim three points, winning 3-1 over York with the other teams having to share the points.

In Division 3 Central, Darkstar Derbyshire took six points from matches against Rhinos Cambridge and Leicester Athena Nova. Darkstar’s performance sees them move up to third in the table, one point ahead of local rivals Nottingham Rockets.

Division 3 South East also witnessed close contests, including a five-set clash between Essex Ravens and Dartford Warriors, with Ravens narrowly winning 15-13 in the final set.

In Men’s Division 1, Newcastle Staffs secured a comfortable 3-0 victory over Cambridge ARU (25-15, 25-19, 25-20), positioning them sixth, though they have games in hand compared to teams above.

London Aces have started the season well, but they suffered a setback in in a hard-fought match against Tamworth Spartans, who pulled off a nail-biting final set win, 15-11.

Black Country were looking to keep up the pressure on Aces and Leeds Gorse and notched a 3-1 win over Bristol on Sunday, but could not close out a perfect weekend in the South West as Exeter Storm got the better of them on Saturday.

Despite a slow start to the season, Exeter’s recent success - including National Cup victory over Super League University of Nottingham - show promising improvement.

Lincoln Cannons climbed off the bottom of Division 1 with a 3-0 victory over Hull Thunder and could be the momentum boost they need heading towards the Christmas break in a month's time.

In Division 2 Central, Loughborough Students faced Northampton in a monumental five-set battle. After narrowly missing out in the fourth set (26-24), Loughborough clinched the final set 15-13, lifting them up to fifth, a point behind Newmarket.

Rhinos Cambridge claimed the top spot in table thanks to a 3-1 win over MK City combined with Coventry and Warwick Riga's first defeat at the season at third-placed Norwich Spikers.

In Division 3 North Central, Nottingham Rockets maintained their start with two straight-set wins over Black Country 2 and Tamworth Spartans 2, meaning they have now won six out of six.

Nearest challengers Leicester suffered their first setback however, as they were beaten by GNG Beford, who also saw off Wombourne 2 in a Saturday triangular. 

Division 3 South West featured two triangulars with a combined 23 sets. Weymouth held off a determined Bedminster fight to win 3-2, while Southampton 2 edged out Nuneaton in a nerve-wracking final set decider, which finished 15-13. 

Oxford Bulls, meanwhile, comfortably dispatched Nuneaton Inferno and were able to claim another three points against Southampton 2. 

Action images by Eloise Place (@eloiseplacephotography)

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