Netball Europe wasn’t the only big event on the netball calendar this weekend as teams fighting to play Premier League netball next season took to the EIS in Sheffield for play-offs.
From the winners of regional all the way up to the winners of Premier League 2, teams were battling for promotion.
On the other side of the coin, sides that finished bottom of all Premier Leagues were ready to cling on to their places.
Across both Saturday and Sunday, an exhausting schedule of fixtures tested the talent, fitness and determination of all who pulled on their respective dresses for the final time this season.
The battle for a place in Premier League 1 was a fascinating affair as Leeds Athletic managed to win all three of their games, taking maximum points to retain their status.
While Leeds proved their worth in the top tier, Team Bath were relegated after getting just one win across the weekend.
Ryland also failed to grab themselves a top spot and instead have been forced to remain in Premier League 2.
This paved the way for Worcester Reds to gain promotion and take up their place in the highest level of club netball in the country.
The competition that had everyone talking was the fight for a Premier League 2 position.
Premier Romans managed to remain in the league by the skin of their teeth after losing their final game by less than five goals.
This result meant they received two points for the score line and therefore finished just a single point ahead of Sussex Thunder!
Had they had lost by more than five goals, Thunder would have been promoted into Premier League 2 as they could boast a superior goal difference.
The match between those two sides finished 49-all – proving that these excruciatingly close games made a huge difference to the final outcomes.
Chester, on the other hand, managed to blow all the competition away as they were promoted into Premier League 2 with ease, winning all three of their games.
Nine regional teams joined Dudley Leisure, Riverside and Hertford Hornets from Premier League 3 in the fight for a place in the league for next year’s campaign.
Astonishingly, all three Premier League 3 teams were relegated, making way for regional sides to take up Premier League status.
Grangetown were relegated into the division¸ with Poole, Billericay and Charnwood gaining promotion, meaning the table will include four new names for the 2016/17 season.
Despite picking up their first win of the season in their final group game 59-16, Hertford Hornets were relegated along with Dudley Leisure (after losing the cross-regional match against Billericay) and Riverside.
England Netball would like to thank the EIS, Sheffield for playing host to the play-offs and also extend congratulations to all teams for a weekend of impressive netball.
