NVL Review 27th and 28th January

 There was only one match in men’s Division 1, where London Giants hosted Weymouth Beach looking to leapfrog both their opponents and local rivals London Aces.  

Weymouth fought hard in the first set with Giants only just taking it 25-22, but the home side then grew into the game and took the next two sets slightly more comfortably, winning them by 25-19 and 25-18 scorelines. 

This win for Giants boosts them up the table to third place just one point behind Black Country, who played in the Cup this weekend.  

Weymouth slip to fifth, but are only two points behind Giants with one game in hand over Black Country, and all of the top five will still harbour hopes of clinching the title with a strong run. 

Sheffield put in an impressive showing against Liverpool in Division 2 North with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-15) victory over the Merseyside team.  

Wiltshire Mavericks made the trip to Guildford International worth it in Division 2 South as they eased to a 3-0 victory. 

The result puts them third above Wessex by one point, albeit having played a game more. 

In Women's Division 1, Leicester Athena took on London Inter Crocs on Saturday with the Leicestershire side looking to solidify their position in the top half of the table. 

Southampton, their closest rivals, played on Sunday and had the opportunity to go above Athena if they were unsuccessful, so it was an important game for the Midlands side.  

Athena came out swinging and took the first 25-14 before edging a closer set 25-23. 

The third set was a marathon affair which the Crocs were able to snatch 33-31 to keep their hopes alive. 

However, it seemed to sap the visitors’ energy, with Athena taking the fourth set 25-20 to close out the match.  

On the South Coast, Southampton came out strong and took the first two sets 25-15, 25-15, but they tripped slightly when visitors Dartford Chargers took the third 25-21.  

Despite this setback, Southampton rallied well and took the fourth set 26-24, showing their determination to keep the heat on Athena. 

A five-set thriller between Rhinos Cambridge and Essex Trinity was played out at the Chesterton Sports Centre, with a big first set setting the tone for the rest of the match. 

Essex snatched it 28-26 and backed it up with a 25-21 second set win to seemingly put them on course to triumph in straight sets. 

Rhinos, though, were not about to give up on home turf taking the third and fourth sets 25-21 and 25-12 to set up a decider, which Trinity claimed 15-8.  

As a result, Essex top Division 2 Central, just ahead of Oxford Eagles on sets, with both teams having accrued 18 points.  

Rhinos are level on points in sixth with Norwick Spikers in seventh, both teams having so far earned nine points.  

Bedminster travelled to Brighton to take on Sussex Dolphins in Division 2 South. 

With a blip in the third set for Bedminster, there was an opportunity for the hosts to fight back but the Bristol side proved too strong and took the match 3-1 (25-21, 25-15, 12-25, 25-14). 

After taking part in a triangular fixture last weekend, Wombourne had a less busy weekend in only having to travel to Nottingham to play Nottingham Rockets in Division 3 Central.  

Nottingham knew it would be a tricky match with their visitors winning two of their last three games, but when the two met earlier in the season the East Midlanders were able to claim a 3-1 victory.  

However, that was the last victory Nottingham had recorded and their run was extended to six winless games as Wombourne ran out 3-0 victors, with each set ending 25-23. 

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With eight teams from the MAAREE Women’s Super League playing in the National Cup only Coventry and Warwick Riga and Lionhearts were able to play a league fixture over the weekend.   

A thrilling game with some superb rallies kept the game exciting to the very end.  

With Lionhearts wuthout a victory in their first season of the Super League, they hoped a trip to Coventry would allow them to claim their first points.  

But Riga were looking to bounce back from their 3-1 defeat last weekend to second place Essex Rebels and were in no mood to yield. 

Coventry came out the gates quickly but Lionhearts were able to keep pace with them right up to the last couple of points, with Riga taking the first set 26-24.  

Lionhearts hit back hard, with the second set finishing 25-19 to the London side, replicating the fightback feat last weekend against Cambridge ARU.  

But Lionhearts were then knocked back in the third set as Riga were able to dig in and claim another marathon set 27-25. 

And after giving their all to that point, the Londoners’ spirit was finally overcome as Coventry took the fourth 25-16.  

This 3-1 victory puts Riga eight above Darkstar Derbyshire, up into eighth place, intensifying the battle at the bottom end of the table. 

Leeds Gorse are four points clear of the bottom three but have played more games (12) games compared to Riga (10), Darkstar (9) and Lionhearts (9).