Wasps get season underway with Severn Stars victory

Two-time champions Wasps started strongly leaving Severn Stars standing. A disappointing start for Stars saw them struggle to move the ball through court against a physical Wasps side who dominated the first quarter 4-16. A number of mistakes from Stars and tight defence from Josie Huckle on Georgia Rowe, meant the natural flow of the Stars game was not connecting, which was imperative as Rowe was shooting at 100%.

Changes for the second quarter saw Jane Taylor and Lucy Harris come on and Paige Read and Leana Leota move to the bench. Taylors quick movement opened up the circle, which allowed Rowe more availability under the post. Jamaican international Malysha Kelly made her Stars debut, but was replaced during the second quarter by Dee Bolakoro, who quickly made an impact with her new formed defensive partner Lucy Herdman.

Following her strong performance in the last game, Herdman continued to provide stability at the back. But it was Wasps that extended their lead with consistent play on court from University of Worcester graduate Iona Christian in the centre position for the opposition, contributing to her team leading 14-31 at half time.

An improvement was seen from Stars in the third quarter with Nia Jones continuing to lift the team. Movement on court improved and the ball made its way into the circle with good movement from Taylor. However, Stars continued to struggle to capitalised on their turn overs, which was evident in the score line, with Wasps scoring twice the number of goals as Stars over the 12 minutes, ending the quarter 20-43 to Wasps.

Paige Read made a strong return to the game in the final quarter with captain Leota working her magic and splitting the defence. Immy Thomas also entered the game at Wing Defence, providing another option for Bessell. Wasps made a number of changes throughout the quarter but remained in control of the game even though Stars won the final quarter 14-10, bringing the final score to 34-53.

After the game, Head Coach Melissa Bessell said: "To say that today was a disappointment, is not the word one would use at this level. These players are expected to play at a higher level and give a better performance and there is really no excuse for today’s performance.

"It is back to the drawing board for us, but we have time to fix it and will come back stronger. We have just put the pressure on ourselves because we have to win every match now."

Severn Stars next face current champions Manchester Thunder on Sunday 28 February at 12pm while Wasps take on Team Bath Netball on Monday 22 February.

Player of the Match: Rachel Dunn (Wasps).

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Match report from Severn Stars.