NVL Preview (28th Feb and 1st March) - UON bid to seal title as Blaze seek top spot 

Women’s NVL  

The University of Nottingham can wrap up immediate promotion back to the MAAREE Women’s Super League by taking a single point from Saturday’s NVL Division 1 North match against resurgent fellow East Midlands side Loughborough Students. 

Freddie Fairbairn’s team will, no doubt, want to do it in style with a 10th consecutive win of the campaign but will have to be on their guard against opponents who have won their last three games to haul themselves off the bottom of the table. 

The Students are also in action on Sunday when they host second-placed Manchester Marvels at Parkin Sports Centre. 

Northampton, meanwhile, will look to get back to winning ways after their recent form has hit the buffers when they host basement club Stockport. 

An important clash at the bottom end of Division 1 South pairs Team South Wales against Wessex, with both sides desperate for points in their respective bids to beat the drop. 

Victories are not a problem newly-crowned champions London Giants have found hard to come by and they will bid to make it 13 straight wins as they host Bedminster. 

Third place (London Inter Crocs) take on second (Richmond) in a capital derby on Sunday, while mid-table clubs Bristol and Essex Trinity meet at Avanti Gardens. 

It’s a busy weekend of fixtures in Division 2 East, with no less than five matches taking place. 

Second-placed Cambridge 2 will bid to make up ground as they are involved with in a Sunday triangular against bottom two Norwich Spikers and Worthing.  

Indeed, if they can take maximum points, they will be just two points behind leaders Onyx London having played the same number of games. 

The Spikers also have a match on Saturday in a busy weekend for them when they play Herts in what will be the first of three encounters in a little over 24 hours. 

Richmond 2 are also going well in third spot and will bid to distance themselves from Dartford Chargers in fourth with a favourable result in Kent. 

Three Division 2 West matches all are set for Sunday, and all three feature a West Midlands side. 

Coventry and Warwick Riga go to an Oxford Eagles outfit bidding to bounce back from their first league defeat of the season last weekend. 

Tamworth Spartans host a Southampton side two places and six points above them in the table, while Wombourne entertain struggling Cardiff Falcons. 

None of the top three in Division 2 North play this weekend, meaning fourth-placed Newcastle Staffs can make up ground with victory over Sheffield. 

The division’s other match sees bottom club Everton Narwhals host Lincoln Cannons at Litherland High School. 

Unbeaten Bristol 2 have the chance to return to the top of Division 3 South West, above rivals Farnborough Phoenix when they are involved in the division’s only triangular of the weekend that also includes Southampton 2 (fourth) and Plymouth (fifth).  

A full programme of nine matches in Division 3 South East sees all nine teams playing across three triangulars. 

Unbeaten table toppers London Ravens will bid to take two more steps closer towards the title when they take on Dartford Warriors and Tendring on Saturday. 

Second-placed Ashcombe Dorking take their turn on Sunday as they play Richmond 3 and Sussex Dolphins 2 in London. 

Spelthorne Sharks can strengthen their grip on third spot when they meet Essex Ravens and Invicta. 

MK City and Leicester Athena Nova are locked together on 29 points at the top of Division 3 Central and both have the opportunity to push their bids to be champions this weekend. 

The Buckinghamshire side welcome Rhinos Cambridge and Ashfield Vipers to Glebe Farm, while the East Midlanders travel up the M1 to face Darkstar Derbyshire 2 and Coventry and Warwick Riga 2. 

Newcastle Staffs 2 could go third if results work out for them in their Division 3 North triangular against Leeds Gorse 3 and Hull Thunder on Humberside. 

Men’s NVL 

Essex Blaze can quickly put aside last weekend’s disappointing defeat if they earn maximum points at Bristol as it would take them top of the Division 1 South table, with no other teams in action. 

In Division 1 North, Newcastle Staffs have already claimed the title, but they will not be about to let up with West Midlands rivals Black Country in town. 

Stockport are near certainties for the drop and need full points against Sheffield if they are to avoid being relegated to Division 2. 

Despite being only one point between them, three places separate Coventry and Warwick Riga (in fourth) and Tamworth Spartans (in seventh) as they prepare to do battle. 

It’s a big weekend for Lincoln Cannons, who could assume leadership of Division 2 North by a point – but only if they can secure a maximum-points success against fourth-placed Everton Dugongs. 

There’s plenty to play for at the other end of the table too as bottom club Newcastle Staffs 2 meet a Nottingham Rockets side immediately above them. 

Elsewhere, Sheffield Springers and Hull Thunder, both winners last weekend, will be out to repeat the trick. 

All eight teams play in Division 2 Central, including leaders Oxford Bulls, who will be out to continue their recent charge at home to Leicester. 

Third-placed Newmarket and second-placed MK City lock horns in Suffolk as they bid to keep pace. 

Northampton welcome Loughborough Students, who have faltered in recent weeks after a bright start, while bottom two Norwich Spikers and Cambridge 2 will scrap it out for crucial points. 

All eyes in Division 2 South will be on Sunday’s potentially pivotal clash in the title race between Richmond Bucks, in first, and Dartford Crossers, in second. 

The Bucks will hope to go into that clash having already stretched their lead at the top with a Saturday match against Reading Aces. 

Spelthorne Lions, meanwhile will hope to move to a 6-5 record for the season when they take on Cardiff Panthers. 

After seeing Manchester Liberators take their place at the top of Division 3 North last week, Intervolley Manchester have the chance to rectify that situation this weekend when they meet Liverpool and Hull Thunder 2. 

It’s a packed Sunday schedule in Division 3 Central where Telford will look to edge closer to the championship title with their 13th and 14th wins of the season when they tackle fellow West Midlands sides Black Country 2 and Coventry and Warwick Riga 2. 

Three points further back, second-placed Birmingham City will continue their chase when Nuneaton Inferno 2 and Darkstar Derbyshire 2 visit Aston University. 

Dudley Evolve plays host to a third triangular involving Wombourne, Tamworth Spartans 2 and Chelmsford. 

All sides have won at least four matches in Division 3 South East, meaning leaders London Lionhearts’ matches with Tendring and Worthing will be far from straightforward. 

The same came be said of second-placed Onyx London’s fixtures as they go head to head with Essex Estonians and hosts GNG Bedford. 

It’s a huge day on Sunday for top two Team South Wales and Weymouth as they come face to face at Oasis Academy, Brislington for a triangular that also involves Bedminster 2. 

Third-placed Bristol 2 will hope to make the most of home court advantage and make up ground on whichever one of the title-chasing sides drops points when they welcome Southampton 2 and Urbond Portsmouth.

Action images by Simon Clarke (@simondclarke.1)

Full NVL fixtures and results can be found here.  

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