Manchester Thunder extended their unbeaten Superleague run at Team Bath
Friday 27 March 2015 10:06, UK
Manchester Thunder were not at their free-flowing best but still had enough to grind out a 40-37 win at Team Bath on Monday night.
Thunder extended their perfect run in the Superleague to 10 consecutive victories at the Sports Training Village in Bath, but were made to work until the dying moments.
It was Tracey Neville's first match as Thunder coach since she was unveiled as interim England head coach, replacing Anna Mayes for this summer's World Cup in Australia.
Shaunagh Craig was handed a starting role for the hosts and quickly made her mark, scoring twice in the opening minute - either side of an Asha Francis goal - to give Bath a 3-0 lead and set the tone for the first quarter.
Accurate feeds from Mia Ritchie and Rachel Shaw were clinically converted by Craig and Francis as Bath maintained their lead throughout, going into the break with a 10-8 advantage.
The Somerset side extended their advantage early in the second quarter through Asha Francis, prompting Neville to ring the changes as Helen Housby was switched to goal attack, in place of Kathryn Turner, while Krista Enziano was introduced at goal-shooter.
This tactical switch sparked a fight back from the Thunder and Enziano edged her team ahead for the first time – a lead they took into half-time after Craig missed a chance to equalise.
It was Team Bath’s turn to alter their line-up as Craig was replaced by Rosie Allison at the break, with Shaw taking the goal-attack role from Francis, and Ritchie moved to wing-attack as Kyra Jones came on at centre.
Enziano remained a steady source of points for Manchester, but they struggled to hold off the home side as three quick-fire finishes from Allison swung the match back in Bath’s favour.
The teams continued to trade points during a thrilling quarter and Housby’s shooting accuracy allowed the Thunder to take a 32-28 lead into the final quarter.
But Bath staged a thrilling late rally, turning over possession on a number of occasions through fine defensive work from Cook and Francis, and the champions were forced to cling on for a tense victory.
England-bound coach Neville clarified her future while heaping praise on the mentality of her side.
Neville said: "My future is uncertain and the team's future is uncertain which does cause a bit of upset because I've brought these girls through for four years.
My appointment doesn't start until April 28 and that's what people need to clear on. My appointment with Manchester Thunder is up to that date.
"My appointment doesn't start until April 28 and that's what people need to be clear on. My appointment with Manchester Thunder is up to that date.
"We've had some difficulties in the camp this week, and not just with my appointment. These are things we've had to manage.
"This game didn't come at the right time for our squad this week.
"We showed a championship mentality towards the end when we could have easily let that game go. What we did was take possession of the game, taking control, and worked that ball to the circle."
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