Share Image: Morgan Harlow Ine-Mari Venter was the spark that lit the fire as the goal shooter led Saracens Mavericks to a 54-50 victory over Surrey Storm in the Vitality Netball Superleague. The South African international picked up a calf injury in Round 7 and continued her strong return to the court for the first time in front of a home crowd at Hertfordshire Sports Village. The win kept Mavericks' playoff hopes alive, putting the home side level on points with Team Bath Netball. Mavericks got away quickly with the first centre pass, spurred on by the roar of a packed home crowd. They looked strong with an early lead, but a series of fouls in Storm's shooting third saw the visitors respond quickly and equalise. A long overhead pass from Yasmin Parsons to shooting extraordinaire Peace Proscovia saw Storm move to a four-goal lead early on. But a foul with just one minute to go gave Mavericks the opportunity to pull back within two goals at the end of the first quarter. Storm came back refreshed in the second quarter, with fast play from centre Mikki Austin and wing attack Parsons dominating their third. The visitors pulled into a six-point lead with ten minutes to go until half-time but Mavericks were not overcome and they inherited a second wind as Venter stepped onto the court to applause. And her appearance was as dynamic as expected with the home team capitalising on mistakes from the Storm attackers to pull ahead for the first time since the opening few minutes. Kathryn Ratnapala's team were aided by wing defence Gabby Marshall who made interception after interception in the centre third to make it 25-24 to Saracens Mavericks at half-time. The third quarter started tightly as Storm battled to regain momentum with a changed seven, with Parsons moving to centre and Sophia Candappa coming into wing attack. But Mavericks were always one step ahead and stormed to a four-goal lead. An incredible interception from Sasha Corbin was met with gasps from the crowd as the goalkeeper impressively leapt ahead of Proscovia to snatch the ball from above with three minutes to go in the third quarter. And her efforts were rewarded as the home side led Storm 42-38 going into the final quarter. The final 15 minutes was alive with energy as Venter and Chloe Essam kept a comfortable four-point lead in place. Storm began to struggle under the pressure but refused to slip away as the home crowd's chants echoed around the court and cheered their team to a deserved victory. You can also watch the highlights from all the games in the VNSL 2022 season HERE. Buy tickets to support Saracens Mavericks at their home games here and support Surrey Storm at their home ground by buying tickets here. Follow @NetballSL on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok or subscribe to our newsletter for the latest Vitality Netball Superleague news. Share Tags: Saracens Mavericks Surrey Storm