National Shield and NVL review

In the Men’s Shield, a five-set thriller between Division 1 London Aces and Division 2 South Exeter Storm set the tone for the weekend.  

The two teams went back and forth, each taking a set off the other, leading to a final set tie-breaker, which Storm were able to clinch.  

London League side SQUAD battled hard for their place in the next round by beating Division 1 club Cambridge ARU, with two of the four sets going to tie breaks.  

After taking the first set 26-24, Cambridge took the second 29-27. However, SQUAD dug deep and took the third and fourth sets 25-22 and 25-21 to claim a noteable success.  

It sets them up for a third round match against Tamworth Spartans, who made it into the next round after a victory over Tendring.  

Hertfordshire side Watford met the London Bears 2 and they swept to a 3-0 victory to book their ticket in the next round.  

Bristol also recorded a straight sets win over Wombourne and sets up an exciting West Country derby against Exeter early in the New Year. 

In the Women’s National Shield, another five set-thriller between Manchester Marvels Mayhem and Newcastle Staffs saw the teams neck and neck for much of the contest.  

Staffs took the first two sets (25-19, 25-23) but Manchester hit back and took the third and fourth sets (25-20, 25-18).  

Staffs were not going down without a fight, however, and showed their battling qualities to take the final set 15-11. 

Northampton and Leicester Athena also went the distance before the latter edged to victory. 

The Midlanders took the first two sets but then were not able to maintain their momentum and Athena powered back, clinching the final three sets, including the decider (25-16, 25-13, 15-6). 

Reading Aces claimed a 3-1 victory over Black Country, despite a small scare when they dropped the second set. 

Richmond secured a comfortable 3-0 victory over Spelthorne Sharks, showcasing their skill and experience to take their sets 25-10, 25-9, 25-9. 

Leeds Gorse 2 will travel to Sheffield in the New Year after both teams claimed victory over the weekend.  

The South Yorkshire side overcame a strong Manchester Marvels Mystics with a 3-0 victory (26-24, 25-16, 25-11), while the West Yorkshire women were also worthy straight sets winners over Hull Thunder (25-21. 25-22, 25-5). 

Click here for all the National Sheild results.  

In the NVL, only one game was contested in men’s Division 1, which saw fourth place take on fifth, with London Aces travelling to local rivals London Giants. 

Opening the set with a 26-24 nail biter which went the way of the Giants, the game was cat and mouse throughout.  

The second set went to Aces, and they were able to keep this momentum and took the next two sets (25-21, 25-20).

Due to Shield action, it was also a quiet week in Division 2 North with Harrogate taking on Loughborough Students, where the visitors took the match 3-0 after three very keenly-contested sets (26-24, 25-22, 25-22)  

Hounslow took the opportunity to move up the Division 2 Central table with a 3-0 victory over Dartford Crossers, which puts them level on points with second-placed Norwich Spikers and just one point behind leaders London Baks.  

A triangular fixture between Invicta, Rhinos Cambridge and Onyx London took place on Sunday, with the former able to get closer to the top spot of Division 3 South with two victories over the teams both in straight sets. 

They took their first match against Onyx 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-20) which was then backed up by another 3-0 triumph over the previously-unbeaten Rhinos (29-27, 25-17, 25-21). 

Rhinos were able to claim victory over Onyx with a 3-1 victory (25-20, 27-25, 26-24, 25-23), putting them in fourth, two points off Onyx in third and four points off Invicta in second.  

Rhinos have only played five matches compared to the three teams above them who have all played seven.

In the women's competition, there were no matches in Division 1, but after a strong start in Division 2 Central, leaders Herts suffered a setback as they took on Loughborough Students on Sunday.  

The Students raced out of the blocks to win the first two sets 25-13 and 25-22. 

Herts rallied to clinch the third 25-21, but Loughborough remained unfazed and saw out the match with a 25-20 fourth set win. 

In the other match in the division, Norwich Spikers travelled to Rhinos Cambridge for a match that produced some engrossing action and close sets all the way to the final point.  

It was Norwich who eventually made their trip worthwhile, running out as 3-1 victors (23-25, 25-21, 26-24, 17-25)  

In Division 2 South, London Giants hosted Cardiff Falcons where a victory for either team would put them second in the table and hot on the heels of leaders Team South Wales.  

The home team were able to use the home advantage to claim the match 3-0 with a dominant display from the Giants. 

The Falcons fought hard but were unable to get into a consistent rhythm as the sets were scored 25-12, 25-17, 25-15. 

For all the results, tables and next week's fixtures click here. 

Photo : Liam Jefferies