NVL preview (8th and 9th March) - important week in bid to avoid drop from Men's Division 1

Holding up the rest at the moment are London Baks and they have what, on paper looks the hardest task in visiting a Newcastle Staffs side with an outside chance of securing a play-off spot. 

Also in action are ninth-placed Tamworth Spartans, currently in the final relegation spot, as they face a trip to the South West to face mid-table Exeter Storm.

 

Just one point above the West Midlanders, having played a game more, are Cambridge ARU, who host a Lincoln Cannons side who will be looking to secure one more win that would see them just about safe with the games running out. 

Manchester Marvels will hope to take another step towards the Division 2 North title when the leaders visit Harrogate, who are without a win all season and already relegated. 

Third-placed Leeds Gorse (on Saturday) and Sheffield (on Sunday) both make the trip across the Pennines to face Wigan Seahawks looking to keep their promotion ambitions intact. 

Darkstar Derbyshire host Kings of Court in a mid-table affair on Saturday. 

Rhinos Volley Cambridge will look to defend their position at the Division 2 Central summit when they face Cambridge in a city derby at Chesterton Sports Centre on Sunday. 

Before that, on Saturday, second-placed Loughborough Students will hope to keep up the pressure with as 10th win in a row as they host Norwich Spikers. 

Third-placed side Coventry and Warwick Riga are also very much still in the promotion hunt and host Newmarket on Sunday, while the weekend’s action is completed by MK City’s clash with Northampton. 

Just two games are being staged in Division 2 South, giving Southampton the opportunity to put the pressure on the top two when they visit Spelthorne Lions. 

Elsewhere, Wiltshire Mavericks will be desperate for the points at Hounslow as they battle to avoid relegation along with Cardiff Panthers. 

There are no fixtures in Division 3 North Central, but in Division 3 North West, Manchester Moss Side will hope to stay in the promotion race when they take on city rivals Manchester Marvels Marauders at Dean Trust Ardwick. 

It’s a busy weekend in Division 3 South East, where there are six fixtures across two triangulars. 

Invicta can clinch the title if they win their matches with maximum points against London Wildcats and Guildford International. 

Second-placed Dartford Crossers are also in action as they host Essex Estonians and Urbond Portsmouth in their final regular season matches. 

Oxford Bulls have already wrapped up the Division 3 South West championship, but the play-off place below them is still up for grabs and Reading Aces will hope to strengthen their hopes of claiming it as they play Coventry and Warwick Riga 2 and City of Bristol 2 in a triangular in the West Midlands. 

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The eagerly-awaited key showdown in the Women’s Division 1 title race takes place on Sunday when London Giants host Newcastle Knights at Clapham Leisure Centre. 

The hosts have only lost only once all season but still trail the unbeaten leaders by three points. 

The previous meeting in the North East was won by the Knights and a repeat performance would see them odds on for the title. 

However, should the Giants prevail then it would ensure the race for top spot and a guaranteed place in the Super League will go right down to the wire. 

Before their trip to the capital, however, Newcastle face another stiff test when they visit third-placed Leicester Athena Phoenix. 

The East Midlanders have emerged as a force to be reckoned with to notch 10 wins from 14 matches and will be out to underline the progress they have made this season. 

Essex Trinity are twice in action across the weekend as they look to arrest disappointing recent form that has seen them slip into the bottom half of the table after a bright start to their campaign. 

First they host fifth place Stockport on Saturday before making the trip north to face relegation-threatened Coventry and Warwick Riga. 

Manchester Marvels Mayhem will hope to increase their lead at the top of Division 2 North as second-placed Loughborough Students are without a match when they head to Tamworth Spartans on Sunday. 

Sheffield are in action on both days, first hosting winless Urmston Grammar and then making the trip to Merseyside to face Everton Narwhals, who also double up by taking on Newcastle Staffs on Saturday. 

Northampton will hope to move within two points of second-placed Richmond 2 in Division 2 East when they visit MK City on Saturday. 

Mid-table sides Dartford Chargers and Norwich Spikers go head to head on Sunday. 

Team South Wales have the opportunity to return to the summit of Division 2 West if they can gain maximum points from back-to-back games against Cheltenham and Gloucester and at Oxford Eagles. 

The former of those two opponents is also in action in what is looking like a must-win match against the side just above them, Cardiff Falcons, if they are to avoid immediate relegation back to Division 3. 

The two matches in Division 3 North Central can both be considered derbies, with Manchester Marvels Mystics hosting a Manchester Liberators team eyeing a promotion slot and Leeds Gorse 2 taking on York Falcons. 

Darkstar Derbyshire 2 will be looking to round off their Division 3 Central season by regaining second place in the table with victories over Leicester Athena Nova and Rhinos Volley Cambridge, who are also not out of the promotion hunt.

 

If successful, they will then have to wait to see how Lincoln Cannons fare in their final two matches before knowing their fate. 

There are no matches in Division 3 South East but unbeaten Reading Aces, given their superior set quotient, can all-but seal the Division 3 South West title if they earn maximum points in their triangular with Portsmouth and Plymouth. 

Action images by Simon Clarke

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