Fiery Dragons turn up the heat

Loughborough Lightning closed the gap on TeamBath at the top with a 37-27 win over a much-improved Celtic Dragons.

Hosts lose again but have plenty to be proud of

Loughborough Lightning closed the gap on TeamBath at the top of the Co-Operative Superleague with a 37-27 win over a much-improved Celtic Dragons. The struggling Dragons - with just one win all season - played their best netball of the campaign in front of the Sky Sports cameras but came up just short against an experienced Lightning outfit. Although Celtic Dragons started slowly, adjusting to a new combination and getting their timing and flow down court together, they became steadily more competitive as the game went on. Celtic lost the first quarter 10-3 but they set the scene early, sticking to a strong defensive game plan and were able to disrupt Loughborough's attack, slowing them down through their mid-court using solid defensive teamwork. Amanda Pinder entered the game in the second quarter at WA for the Celtic Dragons and was impressive for the rest of the contest, but Lightning were able to built on their lead in this quarter and went into half time ahead by ten, 20-10. The second half of the game was a tighter encounter. The Dragons showed some brilliant passages of play and reliable teamwork. It was noticeable that Celtic's teamwork was key in rattling a Loughborough side that beat them by 45 goals in the first round this season. At three-quarter time the score was 31-19. But the final quarter belonged to the hosts as they kept their cool under the net and took it by two goals. Loughborough shooters Jo Harten and Becky James were out-played by Celtic defenders Sara Hale and Lindsay Keable and their usual free-flowing attack down court was halted by strong full court defence that bent but did not break often. In fact the Dragons kept Lightning to their lowest scoring total of the season to date, as the match finished 37-27. A richly-deserved player of the match was Celtic Dragons Captain Sara Hale, who did so much to help shut down a formidable England attack. Lightning captain and Coach Olivia Murphy admitted she was disappointed with her side's performance, commenting: "Disappointed with the nature of the game. We restricted them (Celtic Dragons) to 27 goals, but 37 goals for us isn't good enough and our completion rate was down by 30%. "The game was scrappy and not a good performance following our Christmas break. We have another big game on Sunday against Northern Thunder so we will be looking to improve.' By contrast, Celtic Dragons coach Sue Gaudion was elated with her team's improvement. She said "It was a really rewarding performance. Our defensive pressure was outstanding and very consistent throughout the game. We took away our opposition's strengths and gained success in teamwork. We started to move the ball down court really well. Overall I am really pleased." Sara Hale added: "It was a great improvement from our second half and brilliant teamwork. It was great to see Celtic players play with spirit. We will now look to back up our performance and move into the middle of The Co-operative Netball Superleague table." Celtic Dragons: GS: Chrissy Munroe, GA: Cara Moseley, WA: Sarah Leach, C: Stephanie Essex, WD: Stephanie Williams, GD: Sara Hale, GK: Lindsay Keable.
Loughborough Lightning: GS: Hannah Reid, GA: Emma Bliss, WA: Jade Clarke, C: Olivia Murphy, WD: Natasha Hampshire, GD: Katie Rose, GK: Jo Harten.