Round 12 of the Netball Super League saw the top four secured, with the league table shifting as AO Manchester Thunder took the top spot after a dominant victory over NIC Leeds Rhinos. LexisNexis Dragons extended their winning streak with a 62-50 win over Birmingham Panthers, Nottingham Forest secured an 11-goal derby win against Loughborough Lightning, and London Pulse secured another London derby victory at Wembley.
Round 12 Results:
NIC Leeds Rhinos 66-82 AO Manchester Thunder
AO Manchester Thunder moved into the top spot after they took a comfortable 82-66 victory against Leeds Rhinos. For Leeds Rhinos, Paige Reed was clinical in the circle, slotting 24 goals from 25 shots, but it was Thunder’s defence end that made an impressive impact with Taylor McKevitt’s 3 deflections (out of her side’s 9) and 2 gains, earning her the Experience Kissimmee Player of the Match award. McKevitt worked alongside South African SPAR Nicola Smith, who made 8 gains out of the side’s 17. In the shooting circle, England Rose, Eleanor Cardwell, nailed 33 goals and 6 Amex Super Shots to move to 50 Amex Super Shots this season. The away side’s dominant win took them ahead of Loughborough Lightning on points difference.
Loughborough Lightning 65-76 Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest defeated Loughborough Lightning 76-65 in the East Midlands derby, handing the hosts just their second defeat of the season. Forest pulled away in the second half, outscoring Lightning by 7 points in the third quarter as they kept a 80% shooting percentage compared to Lightning’s 67%. Jayda Pechová was named Experience Kissimmee Player of the Match after a dominant performance, including 8 gains (out of Forest’s 12), 8 deflections (out of the 17 in total for the side) and made all of the side’s 5 rebounds. South Africa SPAR Protea Rolene Streutker scored 42 goals and 8 Amex Super Shots in a match-winning effort, as she became the first shooter to score 100 Amex Super Shots this season. Streutker was unphased by Lightning goalkeeper Celena Appleby-Prince who tallied up 4 deflections (out of 14) and 4 gains (out of 11). This win will see Nottingham Forest play in the Soft & Gentle Play-Offs for the first time in just their second NSL season.
Birmingham Panthers 50-62 LexisNexis Dragons
LexisNexis Dragons extended their unbeaten run to three matches after beating Birmingham Panthers 62-50 to get revenge for their Round 7 defeat. The Welsh Feathers duo of Bethan Dyke and Georgia Rowe, linked up in the shooting circle with a 75% shooting accuracy. Dyke made 32 feeds most of which found their way to Rowe, who scored 31 goals. In defence, Jacqui Newton made 4 deflections (out of 8) and made 3 of Dragons’ 5 gains. On Panthers’ side, Charli Fidler picked up 3 gains while Betsy Creak scored 18 goals and 7 Amex Super Shots. LexisNexis Dragons now move to fifth place in the table with 5 points separating them and London Mavericks.
London Mavericks 49-55 London Pulse
London Pulse won the second London Derby of the season with a 55-49 over London Mavericks at OVO Wembley Arena. A dominant start from the away team saw them take the lead over a Mavericks side who struggled to score, as England Rose’s Funmi Fadoju and Halimat Adio shut down their attack. Fadoju made her 100th appearance for Pulse and was awarded with the Experience Kissimmee Player of the Match award with 10 deflections (out of 20), six gains (out of 15) and 2 interceptions. Mavericks pulled it back in the second half, with as England U21 Netball World Youth Cup 2025 Bronze Medallist Sophie Egbaran shone in the shooting circle but Pulse ultimately took the reins too early and cemented their third-place spot in the table.
What’s Next:
Round 13 Fixtures:
Friday 22nd May
- Nottingham Forest vs AO Manchester Thunder (19:00 Motorpoint Arena)
Saturday 23rd May
- Loughborough Lightning vs NIC Leeds Rhinos (18:00 Sir David Wallace Arena)
Sunday 24th May
- London Pulse vs LexisNexis Dragons (17:00 Copperbox Arena)
- London Mavericks vs Birmingham Panthers (18:00 Essex Sports Arena)
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