Vitality Netball Superleague: London Pulse deliver strong away win at Severn Stars
London Pulse sit third in the Vitality Netball Superleague table and continue to push for play-off netball; Funmi Fadoju played two quarters upon her return from injury; coverage of the Vitality Netball Superleague continues on Sunday with Round 16 streamed on YouTube at 4pm
Last Updated: 01/05/22 10:13am
London Pulse welcomed Funmi Fadoju back from injury and continued their strong form with another Vitality Netball Superleague victory.
Fadoju, one of England's most exciting talents, returned from a four-week lay-off and played two quarters at the University of Worcester Arena against Severn Stars.
The London outfit were tested by the home side, but a 16-7 third quarter enabled them to stamp their authority on the encounter and finish up as 53-38 victors.
Pulse sit third in the Vitality Netball Superleague table, behind Manchester Thunder and Loughborough Lightning. Team Bath Netball follow in fourth, with Bath taking on Thunder on Monday night live on Sky Sports.
Vitality Netball Superleague fixtures and results
| Friday at 7pm | Leeds Rhinos Netball 56-57 Loughborough Lightning | Rearranged fixture | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday at 7.30pm | Team Bath Netball 50-49 Saracens Mavericks | Rearranged fixture | Streamed on YouTube |
| Saturday at 6pm | Severn Stars 38-53 London Pulse | Round 16 | Streamed on YouTube |
| Saturday at 6pm | Surrey Storm 55-52 Strathclyde Sirens | Round 16 | |
| Sunday at 4pm | Wasps vs Surrey Storm | Round 16 | Streamed on YouTube |
| Monday at 5pm | Strathclyde Sirens vs Severn Stars | Rearranged fixture | |
| Monday at 5.30pm | Manchester Thunder vs Team Bath Netball | Round 16 | Live on Sky Sports |
| Monday at 7pm | Saracens Mavericks vs Loughborough Lightning | Round 16 |
London Pulse arrived in Worcester off the back of a narrow victory over Celtic Dragons in Round 15, while Stars had fallen to Team Bath by 10 goals.
The opening minutes of the match saw Stars work well in front of their home crowd. Cat Tuivaiti and Katie Harris formed a rangy partnership in the circle, with Harris confident at going to post from distance.
In Pulse's shooting end, Sacha McDonald continued to work the circle well to enable Olivia Tchine to post up. Alicia Scholes' speed and dynamism set their tone and tempo from the first whistle.
Severn Stars vs London Pulse - Quarter-by-quarter scores
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | FT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severn Stars | 10 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 38 |
| London Pulse | 14 | 13 | 16 | 10 | 53 |
A 14-10 lead for Pulse came about due to a mixture of errors from Stars and defensive pressure from Zara Everitt, the returning Fadoju and Lindsay Keable.
Fadoju contributed two interceptions and six deflections and slipped seamlessly back into a very strong partnership with Keable in the circle.
A tight second quarter then played out, before both teams made changes at half-time.
Pulse's performance director Lisa Alexander, leading the visitors in the absence of an ill Sam Bird, introduced Ellie Rattu at centre and moved Fadoju back to the bench to manage her court time.
Stars' head coach Melissa Bessell made widespread changes to their line-up. She reintroduced Harris at GA, having taken her off after the first quarter, and changed two out of her three players in their defensive unit.
Pulse's changes settled instantly and they pressed out into a 10-goal cushion, while Stars' amendments didn't bring about the same impact.
Just before the halfway point in the quarter, with Stars having scored just two goals, Bessell shuffled her pack again. At the other end, Pulse remained in the groove they'd found and kept their tally ticking well.
The 16-goal quarter for Pulse, to just seven from Stars, enabled a drawn final quarter to have little impact on the final result.
Pulse now return to London having taken another step towards the play-offs, while Stars head on the road themselves and travel to Glasgow to face Sirens on Monday night.
In the other game of the day, Surrey Storm edged out Strathclyde Sirens 55-52 at the Surrey Sports Park.
Watch coverage of Round 16 of the Vitality Netball Superleague, as Wasps take on Surrey Storm live on the Sky Sports YouTube channel at 4pm on Sunday.
