2019 British Fast5 All-Stars Championships preview

ONE of the biggest days on the Netball Superleague calendar is here, with the 2019 British Fast5 All-Stars Championships taking place at London’s Copper Box Arena on Saturday afternoon.

Eight of the ten Superleague teams take part in the tournament, with a number of big name players from across the globe taking part in the competition. The tournament will see five-a-side 12 minute matches, with one, two and five-point scoring ranges. Teams each receive a two minute power play per match, which must be used in the first 10 minutes of the match.

It is the Dragons’ inaugural Fast5 appearance this year, having not made the cut in prior seasons. This will be one final farewell for retiring Kyra Jones, with the midcourter putting on the green dress one last time before officially putting down the netball. Each side is given the opportunity to recruit two “all-star” players from across the world, making it a world-class event for all involved and bringing some much-deserved attention to the competition. While some sides in Manchester Thunder and Severn Stars have opted to bring in the big guns with the likes of Australian goaler Erin Bell and New Zealand defender Leana De Bruin joining the fray from across the pond, Loughborough Lightning and Team Bath have looked local with exceptional local talent returning to the Superleague competition in long bomb star Jo Harten and speedy defender Stacey Francis. Meanwhile, Saracens Mavericks have a massive boost with key goaler Jhaniele Fowler stepping up to the plate. Meanwhile, teams the likes of Surrey Storm and Wasps Netball have stayed relatively close to home, keeping a similar lineup to their 2019/2020 regular seasons. Wasps will look to go one step further than their 2019 Superleague campaign and back up their 2018 Fast5 effort with another victory.

FAST5 ALL-STARS GROUP FIXTURES:

Match 1: Wasps Netball vs Severn Stars
Match 2: Manchester Thunder vs Loughborough Lightning
Match 3: Team Bath vs Celtic Dragons
Match 4: Surrey Storm vs Saracens Mavericks

Match 5: Winner 1 vs Winner 2 | Winner advances to semi-final 2
Match 6: Winner 3 vs Winner 4 | Winner advances to semi-final 1

Match 7: Loser 1 vs. Loser 2
Match 8: Loser 3 vs. Loser 4

Match 9: Loser 5 vs. Winner 7 | Winner advances to semi-final 1
Match 10: Loser 6 vs. Winner 8 | Winner advances to semi-final 2

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments