NVL Preview (29th and 30th November) - Marvels men and Bristol women among those seeking to make up ground

Men’s NVL 

Leaders Newcastle Staffs are without a game this weekend, giving those below them a chance to close the gap. 

On Saturday, second-placed Manchester Marvels, beaten by the Potteries side two weeks ago, host Sheffield, who have just one win to their credit so far. 

Black Country, in third, will look to bounce back from their own defeat to Staffs when they host West Midlands rivals Tamworth Spartans at the Cleobury Mortimer Sports Centre on Sunday. 

Mid-table Rhinos Cambridge will host bottom-of-the-table Stockport, who will go seeking their first win. 

There are four matches in Division 1 South, including an intriguing clash between leaders IBB Polonia, who will be looking to make it seven victories from seven, and third-placed Cambridge. 

London Aces will look to reverse their recent disappointing run of form in a double header to the West Country, first visiting Bristol on Saturday and then winless Exeter Storm on Sunday. 

Southampton entertain fellow south coast club Wessex, with both looking to move up into mid-table. 

An East Midlands derby between top-of-the-table Darkstar Derbyshire and Nottingham Rockets is one of two matches where local pride is at stake in Division 2 North. 

Leeds Gorse 2 also take on Sheffield Springers in an East versus South Yorkshire battle – and both are trying to force their way into the promotion picture. 

Elsewhere, Newcastle Staffs 2 and Lincoln Cannons meet at the Sir Stanley Matthews Sports Centre. 

First takes on third as Loughborough Students play Newmarket in Division 2 Central, with the latter looking to hit back after losing their first match of the season last week. 

The team who defeated them, second-placed MK City, make the trip east to face Norwich Spikers. 

Two East Midlands side will bid to improve their mid-table standing when Northampton face Leicester at Moulton College. 

Richmond Bucks will seek to carry their unbeaten start to six matches in Division 2 South on Sunday when they make the short trip to Reading Aces. 

Dartford Crossers will look to take advantage of any slip-ups by the Londoners as they go to Spelthorne Lions, while the bottom two, London Baks and Cardiff Panthers go head to head. 

Telford can take leadership of Division 3 Central when they play their games in hand on current table toppers Birmingham City in a triangular with Nuneaton Inferno and Tamworth Spartans 2. 

The carrot for Liverpool going into their triangular with Manchester Moss Side Jaguars and Urmston Grammar on Saturday is that they can go top of Division 3 North with to maximum points wins. 

If that happened, Intervolley Manchester would trail by a point with two games in hand. 

One of London Lionhearts and London Wildcats will depose out-of-action Newmarket 2 from the top when they meet in their Division 3 South East triangular, with Tendring the third team involved.  

One win will do the trick for the Lionhearts, but if they lost both matches and Wildcats won both of theirs, the order would be reversed. Either way, Tendring will hope to upset one or both sides. 

It is a chance for three sides in the bottom half of Division 3 South West to make a move when Southampton 2, Urbond Portsmouth and City of Bristol play each other at Itchen College Sports Centre. 

Women’s NVL 

Both West Country-based teams are in action in Division 1 South, bidding to bounce back from defeats last weekend. 

Having lost a five-setter at Essex Trinity last weekend, Bristol (pictured above) travel across the Severn Bridge to face a Team South Wales side still searching for their first success of the season after both came up together from Division 2 West last season. 

Bedminster, beaten by leaders London Giants last time out, host a London Inter Crocs side who have played just two league games so far. 

There are no fixtures in Division 1 North this weekend. 

Reading Aces can assume leadership of Division 2 West when on Sunday when they welcome Coventry and Warwick Riga to Kendrick School. 

Should they fail in that bid, then Black Country could also usurp an Oxford Eagles side who don’t play with three points against Tamworth Spartans. 

Wombourne will seek a first league victory when they have home court advantage against Southampton. 

Worthing will hope to lift themselves off the bottom of the Division 2 East table when they host promotion chasing Onyx London and Norwich Spikers in quick succession on Saturday. 

Herts’ clash with Dartford Chargers, on Sunday, is the division’s other fixture. 

Manchester Moss Side Jaguars can maintain, or even extend their extensive lead at the top of Division 2 North when they host Everton Narwhals on Sunday. 

Second-placed Manchester Liberators will bid to keep up the pressure as they host Sheffield just over 24 hours earlier. 

Also in action on Saturday are Newcastle Staffs, who play only their second league match of the season, and Lincoln Cannons, while The Miners Doncaster play fellow Yorkshire side Leeds Gorse 2 on Sunday. 

MK City host a Saturday triangular in Division 3 Central where they take on a Cheltenham and Gloucester side level on points with themselves and also Nottingham Rockets. 

In Division 3 South East, London Ravens can open up a nine-point gap at the top if they take maximum points from their triangular against Richmond 3 and Dartford Warriors. 

Newcastle Staffs 2 could go level on points with Division 3 North leaders Manchester Marvels Mystics but they would be required to take the full points allocation against Urmston Grammar and Everton Seadragons to do so.  

There are no matches in Division South West this weekend.

Main image by @jwakelinvisuals

Full NVL fixtures and results can be found here.

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