NETBALL – The 2025-26 Bahrain Netball Champions League (BNCL) got underway last night with an action-packed, eight-game schedule played at Bahrain Rugby Football Club (BRFC) in Saar.
The new season features 20 teams representing various clubs in the kingdom, including BRFC, The British Club (BC), Dilmun Club (DC), Top Shots (TS), and Nadeen Netball Academy (NNA).
They have been divided into four pools for the tournament’s preliminary round.
Taking victories yesterday to kick off the new campaign were the TS Slammers in Pool A, the DC Seals and RC Wildcats in Pool B, the TS Shakers and RC Jaguars in Pool C, and the RC Leopards and NNA Alphas in Pool D.
The TS Slammers defeated the DC Dunes 24-11 in their contest. Molly Cramp was the Player of the Match for the victors, while Deborah Marara was the Dunes’ top performer.
In the other Pool A fixture, BC Apex and RC Panthers played to a 23-all stalemate, with Monique Juter and Shamsa Thomas leading their respective sides in a tightly contested affair.
The DC Seals were 28-6 winners against the RC Tigers in Pool B. Gina Andendorff led the way in the win while Allegra Smith was her side’s best player in the losing effort.
The RC Wildcats followed suit with a 35-4 triumph against sister squad the RC Lions. Maddie Jardine and Poppy Wardle were the game’s top players for their teams.
In Pool C, the TS Shakers posted a convincing win over the NNA Wolves 40-2. Verity Ball was the Player of the Match for the Shakers and Narmeen Ilyas was the Wolves’ leader.
The RC Jaguars also had a big victory, beating the DC Flames 46-7, with Jeannine Wessels leading the winners’ charge. Amber Al Harthy was the top performer for the Flames.
In Pool D, the RC Leopards defeated the TS Shooters 31-7. Nazli Korkmaz and Oshadi Senanayaka were their respective sides’ top performers.
The NNA Alphas completed the list of week one winners, outplaying the RC Pumas 43-8. Suzie Hughes spearheaded the Alphas, while Mandy Joubert was the Player of the Match for the Pumas.
Action continues with the second matchday of the season on October 28. The BNCL is the first of two parts in the kingdom’s 2025-26 netball campaign.
This phase continues until December, when the participating squads will be divided into the cup, bowl, shield, and plate following the preliminaries.
The second part of the season then begins in January of 2026. It will split the clubs into two tiers – the Superleague and the Bahrain Netball League (BNL).
The Superleague will boast the leading teams from each club, while the BNL will consist of the remaining sides.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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