Netball Super League: Loughborough Lightning beat London Pulse to win second title

Pulse bushed Lightning successful some of their meetings successful the regular season

Loughborough Lightning came from down to bushed London Pulse 57-48 and triumph a 2nd Super League rubric astatine London's Copper Box.

But Pulse were constricted by Lightning to conscionable 8 goals successful the 3rd quarter, swinging momentum arsenic Loughborough closed retired the match.

Pulse person ne'er won the Super League with this their archetypal last appearance.

After the assemblage were treated to a DJ acceptable and saxophonist to hole them for the league's showpiece, Pulse doubly successful the opening stages of the lucifer intercepted the agelong shot to Lightning shooter Mary Cholhok to contention retired to a 7-1 lead.

The Loughborough broadside looked nervy successful the opening exchanges arsenic the assemblage sensed they mightiness witnesser Pulse - who topped the array successful the regular play - triumph the trophy for the archetypal time.

But Vic Burgess' Lightning broadside rapidly sharpened up, realising they were besides having to contend with a assemblage heavy favouring Pulse, who play their location matches astatine the Copper Box.

A superb interception from Natalie Panagarry did not number aft a interaction telephone pulled the crippled back, a determination the assemblage met with boos, but Lightning inactive managed to get wrong 2 by half-time.

Lightning's Fran Williams, whose performances successful defence person earned her a spot successful England's World Cup squad this summer, made cardinal deflections and interceptions to get her broadside backmost successful the contest.

With the scores level astatine 35-35 midway done the 3rd quarter, the shot zipped from 1 extremity to the different arsenic some sides struggled to capitalise connected the other's errors and get the shot successful the net.

But it was 6ft 5in shooter Cholhok who yet managed to enactment the changeable distant aft Williams' decisive intercept, giving Lightning the pb for the archetypal clip successful a pivotal infinitesimal successful the match.

From that infinitesimal Lightning looked successful power and, with the instauration of helping defence Beth Cobden who has missed overmuch of the play with injury, their finals acquisition shone done and Pulse looked shaken.

Pulse mislaid lone 2 games each season, to Manchester Thunder and Saracens Mavericks, beating Lightning successful some of their meetings connected their mode to finishing apical of the league.

But, 1 twelvemonth connected from Lightning's last nonaccomplishment to Thunder, wherever shooter Ella Clarke suffered a devastating anterior cruciate ligament injury, Lightning were determined to reclaim their crown successful beforehand of a raucous crowd.

Pulse caput manager Sam Bird said that her extremity defence Funmi Fadoju turns up connected the large occasions erstwhile they request her astir but, contempt winning six turnovers and making 13 deflections, the 20-year-old could not marque the quality connected this occasion.

Even bolstered by the acquisition of Jade Clarke and Chelsea Pitman, Pulse looked similar a broadside competing for a maiden title.

Tensions grew successful the last moments arsenic a tussle for the shot betwixt Halimat Adio and Hannah Joseph sent boos ringing circular the Copper Box.

But having drawn retired a 10-goal pb successful the second stages of the last quarter, the erstwhile champions knew they had the trophy secured and, arsenic the last buzzer blew, scenes of jubilation fell connected the Lightning squad portion the Pulse players huddled unneurotic successful disappointment.

Captain Panagarry, who has had a hard play disconnected tribunal with her wife undergoing crab treatment, ran crossed the tribunal and leapt into the arms of Cholhok earlier Lightning's players huddled together, cheering successful elation.

This marked the last clip fans volition get to spot players successful enactment earlier this summer's World Cup, wherever attentions volition present crook for galore of the Super League's prima players heading to South Africa.

Earlier, Manchester Thunder bushed Surrey Storm 55-38 successful the play-off lucifer for 3rd and 4th place, the curtain raiser to the Grand Final.

Quarter-time scores

Q1 - 17-13

Q2 - 31-29

Q3 - 39-43

Q4 - 57-48