ZEO Superleague Grand Final: Manchester Thunder edge Surrey Storm in thriller
A last-gasp goal from Manchester Thunder shooter Helen Housby secured a dramatic 49-48 victory against Surrey Storm.
By Razwan Mirza - Tweet me: @RazMirza
Last Updated: 27/04/14 9:23am
The talented youngster from Cumbria secured the dramatic win with just one second remaining on the clock at the Worcester Arena.
The league runners-up Thunder recycled the ball before finding Housby in space and the 19-year-old nailed a sensational winner.
Manchester had their noses in front 11-10 after a tight opening quarter, but Surrey turned things around as they came storming back to open up a four-point advantage 26-22 at half-time.
Tamsin Greenway's side were pegged back ahead of the final quarter, with just a two goal difference separating the teams.
Both sides made changes for the final 15 minutes and with the contest toing and froing, Surrey led 48-47 with just 30 seconds remaining on the clock.
But Manchester quickly pulled level before a loose pass handed possession back to Thunder. They went up the court and Housby staying calm under pressure to secure the title to add to their 2012 success.
In shock
The ZEO player-of-the-match, Thunder's Housby, who netted 37 out of her 39 attempts, with an overall 94 per cent shooting accuracy, told Sky Sports 3: "It means everything - I'm still in shock, I can't believe it.
"We implemented things that we've worked on and I think you saw that on the court today.
"I'm just so happy for the girls. We've worked so hard."
Asked what she was thinking when she sealed the win with the last shot of the match, the goal attack ace said: "I actually had a vision when I was on the bus. I thought 'imagine if I get a massive shot or that's what it comes down to,' but in the moment you don't think about it and I just went for it and it went in."
Meanwhile, winning coach Tracey Neville said: "I couldn't have asked anything more from them girls.
"You talk about shooting under pressure - you talk about winning games under pressure and I think that's what they did tonight.
"I thought we put a whole team performance out there and I'm just really, really happy."
