NVL review (15th and 16th March) - Bristol men close in on play-off spot as Knights women lose unbeaten record

While Leeds Gorse have romped away to the title, the battle as to who will finish next behind them has been chopping and changing for much of the season. 

But back-to-back weekend wins from the West Country team in the absence of a match for Black Country has put daylight between themselves and their close rivals in what could be the decisive move. 

First, on Saturday, Bristol travelled to Hull Thunder and posted a composed 25-19, 25-18, 25-19 success. 

Then, on Sunday, the Blues visited Lincoln Cannons as they returned further south and repeated the trick, this time winning 25-15, 25-20, 25-21. 

Both results heightened each of their opponents’ respective relegation concerns, particularly Hull, who suffered a further setback against London Baks. 

For the capital side, a 25-17, 14-25, 25-17, 25-23 win lifted them off the bottom at Thunder’s expense and revived an outside hope, albeit a small one, of avoiding relegation. 

But Bristol will not be thinking about the plight of those below them and instead they will be focusing on their two games left to come, where maximum-points victories will guarantee them a match against Richmond Docklands for a place in the top flight next season. 

Cambridge ARU, meanwhile, took a huge step towards staying up with their second successive victory, this time over a team sitting just below them in Tamworth Spartans. 

Their 25-20, 25-22, 25-16 triumph at the Wilnecote Leisure Centre carries them five points clear of the drop zone, with most teams having just two games left. 

Exeter Storm were also victorious, beating a Newcastle Staffs, who were competing in the U18 Last 8, by a comfortable 3-0 margin (25-11, 25-19, 25-21). 

Sheffield have clinched promotion from NVL Division 2 North and – in the process – ensured the title races goes down to the bitter end. 

Their 3-0 success over bottom club Harrogate (25-17, 25-20, 26-24), which also relegates the North Yorkshire side, secured the points they needed to finish above the fast-finishing Leeds Gorse 2. 

But Manchester Marvels remain favourites to secure the title and will do so if they win their last game, having triumphed in their penultimate one with a four-set win over Newcastle Staffs 2 (25-17, 25-15, 21-25, 25-15. 

Only if they slip up can Sheffield, who still have two games to play, catch them. 

For their part, Leeds were 25-19, 23-25, 25-23, 25-19 victors at Kings of Court to notch their ninth straight victory dating back to early February. 

Darkstar Derbyshire could still go above Gorse and finish third after their 3-1 success at Wigan Seahawks (25-23, 22-25, 25-17, 25-19), but they would need to prevail in all three of their games in hand to do so. 

Rhinos Volley Cambridge are champions of Division 2 Central after a comfortable 25-17, 25-17, 25-16 in their final match of the season that gives them an unassailable four-point lead. 

Loughborough Students – who are in Shield semi-finals action this week – are in prime position to join them in the promotion places after their latest win, over Newmarket (25-15, 25-18, 25-20), with one more victory sealing the deal. 

Coventry and Warwick Riga continue to keep them honest after their own 25-21 27-25, 25-17 success over Northampton and will keep their fingers crossed all does not go to plan for the university side. 

In Division 2 South, Wessex have wrapped up the title after claiming their ninth victory from 1 league matches by defeating Hounslow (25-19, 25-23, 25-22). 

It is tight for second spot, but Southampton are one point ahead of Richmond Bucks with one game to go after seeing off relegation-threatened Cardiff Panthers 3-1 (23-25, 25-16, 25-18, 25-14). 

Spelthorne Lions made sure of their Division 2 status with a hard-fought triumph over Hounslow (25-19, 26-28, 25-22, 25-18). 

There were no matches in Division 3 Central, but in Division 2 North West, York Vikings secured a welcome late-season boosts with 3-1 triangular victories over Manchester Marvels Marauders and Sheffield 2. 

No matches were played in Division 3 South East, but Division Three South West saw Reading Aces carry themselves to the cusp of securing a play-off place. 

With a four-point lead in second over Weymouth, they now need just one more maximum points win to make sure after getting the better of Southampton 2 (3-1) and City of Bristol (3-0), with the former defeated side beating the latter by straight sets in the other triangular match. 

---

A first defeat of the season for Newcastle Knights – losing on four sets at Essex Trinity (25-19, 18-25, 25-22, 25-17) – has held up their march to the title and the Super League, but they remain favourites to do so. 

Despite losing their unblemished record, they still hold a three-point lead and a vastly superior set quotient, so one more victory is likely to be enough. 

London Giants continue to keep close order after they made it 14 wins from 16 games with a four-set win over Leicester Athena Phoenix (25-18, 25-22, 22-25, 25-13), who had started the weekend in third. 

It was a disappointing weekend for the East Midlanders, who also lost 3-0 at London Inter Crocs (25-23, 25-23, 25-18), missing out in the first two sets that were very close. 

As a result they have dropped to fifth following Trinity’s victory and a weekend double for Everton Belugas. 

The Liverpudlians gone third thanks to a 3-1 success at Stockport (25-23, 29-27, 21-25, 25-21) and straight sets win over Coventry and Warwick Riga (25-12, 25-21, 25-16), who have finished in the relegation places for the second year running. 

Manchester Marvels Mayhem are close to completing a championship double along with their men’s team as the season reaches its finale. 

Should they win one of their last two games, then they will finish top of the Division 2 North pile following on from this weekend’s four-set victory over Newcastle Staffs (25-14, 25-13, 16-25, 25-15). 

Behind them, Loughborough Students have guaranteed themselves promotion – and could still catch Mayhem something catastrophic happen to them – following back-to-back South Yorkshire weekend successes. 

First, on Saturday, they saw off Sheffield in four sets (25-19, 24-26, 25-14, 25-18) and then, on Sunday, they edged out third-placed The Miners Doncaster to put a four-point gap between themselves and their opponents (25-16, 15-25, 23-25, 25-22, 15-9). 

Sheffield were also in action on Sunday and went the distance to secure a win in an ultra-competitive match with Tamworth Spartans. 

The hosts trailed 1-0 and then led 2-1 before eventually clinching the decisive tie-break set (24-26, 25-17, 25-12, 24-26, 17-15) to emerge victorious. 

Team South Wales are another with a championship win within their grasp as they need one more to take Division 2 West. 

Their latest triumph over countrywomen Cardiff Falcons (25-18, 25-11, 25-20) means they will finish in the top two at worst to secure promotion. 

To ensure they stay top, however, they need to win their last match, otherwise, Bristol, in second and with a game in hand, could yet go above them. 

Third-placed Bedminster, 3-1 winners at Oxford Eagles on Sunday (25-22, 26-24, 20-25, 25-22), will also be hoping for favours from the two sides above them if they are not to miss out. 

Richmond 2 have done enough to finish in the top two of Division 2 East, edging out Northampton. 

Cambridge remain strong favourites to head up the division come the final reckoning, but Richmond are set to claim the runners-up berth after a strong performance in beating Dartford Chargers (25-16, 25-21, 18-25, 25-21). 

Their superior set quotient means that the Midlanders, three points back, cannot catch them after dropping a point in their five-set home win over Onyx (15-25, 25-16, 16-25, 25-17, 15-10). 

With just one going, down, it’s still all up for grabs at the other end of the table. 

In the battle of the bottom two, MK City were five-set winners over Herts (25-22, 25-23, 23-25, 21-25, 15-6). 

But their earlier-in-the-weekend loss to Dartford Chargers (25-16, 25-21, 18-25, 25-21) means they still only have a one-point lead with each side having a game left. 

Manchestwer Moss Side Jaguars stretched their unbeaten run to 14 games in Division 3 North and are now all-but guaranteed the title after beating third-placed Leeds Gorse 3 in straight sets in the division’s only match of the weekend. 

They need just a solitary point from their two remaining matches to rubber stamp top spot – and that’s if second-placed Manchester Liberators win both of theirs. 

There were no games in any of the other three Division 3 regions. 

---