Loughborough Lightning maintained their perfect start to the Netball Super League season with an impressive 83-69 win over the Birmingham Panthers, who sit at the bottom of the standings.
Samantha Wallace-Joseph played a standout role, netting 35 goals for the Lightning, who have now claimed victory in all five of their matches, giving them a three-point lead atop the table.
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“Staying unbeaten can be challenging because every team is aiming to take us down,” the Trinidad and Tobago goal shooter shared with BBC Sport.
“Our focus is on maintaining consistency, building team chemistry, and executing our game plan effectively.”
The Panthers have had a tough start to the season, losing all five of their league fixtures by at least 10 goals. However, they registered their highest scoring performance of the season, a fact that pleased head coach Sonia Mkoloma.
“It wasn’t just about scoring more; I felt we were engaged for a longer duration,” Mkoloma commented to BBC Sport.
“We showed competitiveness across all four quarters, which has been a challenge for us, so I’m proud of their effort. I asked for competitiveness and they delivered.”
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Next, Lightning will face the Manchester Thunder on April 4, who currently sit in second place after a decisive 78-53 victory over Nottingham Forest.
Eleanor Cardwell from England contributed significantly to Thunder’s success, scoring 39 goals.
In other action, the London Mavericks also triumphed on Saturday, with George Inger leading the way with 35 goals in a narrow 58-54 win against the LexisNexis Dragons.
On Friday, Olivia Tchine excelled with 32 goals as London Pulse defeated Leeds Rhinos 61-52, marking their second consecutive win and bringing them to 12 points—three behind the Lightning, who handed Pulse their only loss earlier this month.
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After scoring 46 goals against Nottingham Forest in the previous match, 25-year-old English goal shooter Tchine shone again against the Rhinos, raising her tally to 166 goals across five matches.
The Rhinos countered with contributions from Jamaica international Simone Gordon, who scored 23 goals, and Paige Reed, who added 15.
Leeds now find themselves second from the bottom, with just one win from their first five matches.
How to Follow the 2026 Netball Super League on BBC Sport
BBC Sport will broadcast one game each week throughout the regular season.
Here are the live matches available on the BBC Sport website and iPlayer:
April 4: London Pulse vs. Birmingham Panthers (17:00 BST)
April 11: Dragons vs. Birmingham Panthers (16:00)
April 18: Loughborough Lightning vs. London Mavericks (18:00)
Details for televised games in weeks 9-14 will be announced later.