Westfield Health Sheffield Hatters got their WBBL trophy campaign off to a winning start over the weekend and while Jen Ashton starred with a double-double against Durham, she was the first to highlight the team effort behind a hard-fought 67-58 victory.

“It’s always tough to maintain composure and competitiveness when there’s so many changes that can happen within a team from one week to the next,” said the playmaker, who landed 11 points, 10 rebounds 7 assists and 4 steals.

Losing Helen [Naylor] last weekend was critical in our loss, so having her back for our first Trophy game was critical in the win.

“Durham has shown a lot of improvement, this past month especially, so we knew they were going to play tough.”

She continued: “I’m glad our team was able to stay focused on our overall goal; victory. Everyone who stepped on the floor contributed to that success, and I hope we can build on that moving forward.

“With the right effort, intensity, and contribution we are one of the toughest teams to stop in the league.”

There were also comfortable victories on Saturday for the WBBL Championship top two as Sevenoaks Suns blasted their way past Oaklands Wolves 42-62 as Julia Koppl starred with 17 points.

Meanwhile Leicester Riders were too hot to handle for Cardiff Met Archers as Krumesh Patel and his side collected a 40-75 win on Welsh soil behind 25 points from Dee Hayward.

This weekend will see a number of pivotal Trophy Games taking place which will see the Semi-Finals line-up take shape.