Rainbow Netball League: Queens on brink of historic three-peat

Correctional Queens are now just six games away from a historic third consecutive Rainbow Netball League title.

The defending champions underlined their intentions over the weekend with a commanding 52-39 win over closest rivals Glow Petroleum.

It was their biggest win over Glow in years. The last time the fixture produced a 13-goal margin was in 2023, when Glow won by the same difference.

Ironically, that was also the last time Glow lifted the trophy.

In Saturday’s bubble format, the Queens were in ruthless form across the weekend, also posting a century against Belvedere in a 102-07 victory.

The double win keeps Correctional firmly on track to retain the championship and earn the right to keep the trophy permanently, which is awarded to any team that wins it three times in a row.

The latest log standings after Saturday’s action show just how dominant the Queens have been.

Correctional top the table with 49 points from 25 games, having won 24 and drawn one. They remain unbeaten this season.

They are two points clear of second-placed Glow Petroleum, who have 47 points from the same number of games.

Green Fuel are third on 43 points from 27 games, while Black Mambas are fourth on 40 points.

Mutare based Santa Queens, despite playing fewer games, are fifth on 39 points from 22 matches.

With six matches left, the run-in looks favourable on paper.

Correctional dominated all their remaining opponents in the first round, recording emphatic victories including triple-figure scorelines against ZRP Vixens and ZRP Bulawayo.

The champions still have to navigate a tough away trip to Hwange, followed by a final bubble in Kadoma next month, but on current form, few would back against them completing the three-peat.

In other results from the weekend, Black Mambas won both their matches beating ZRP Vixens 61-16 and Flow Angels 53-0.

GreenFuel also collected maximum points with wins over Tenax 60-31 and ZRP Bulawayo 81-23.

Glow Petroleum bounced back from their defeat to the Queens to thrash Belvedere 88-8.

Tenax edged ZRP Bulawayo 57-42. Hwange Colliery beat Golden Valley 62-46 but lost 60-39 to JT Highflyers, who also beat Golden Valley 69-41.

Khami narrowly beat Filchrist 41-40, and ZRP Vixens beat Flow Angels 31-0.