London Pulse dominated the third quarter on their way to a 55-42 victory over Surrey Storm; Pulse to face Loughborough Lightning in Sunday's final after their 65-59 victory over Manchester Thunder; watch live on Sunday from 1.45pm on Sky Sports Arena and YouTube
Friday 9 June 2023 22:32, UK
London Pulse booked a maiden trip to the Netball Super League Grand Final after an impressive 55-42 victory over Surrey Storm.
Storm held a one-goal advantage after the first quarter, only for Pulse to respond strongly in front of a strong crowd at the Copper Box Arena to open a 25-23 half-time lead.
Pulse grabbed momentum in the third quarter and saw their advantage increase to an 11-goal cushion at times, with Storm - who lost both matches to their London opponents in the regular season - finding themselves 10 behind going into the final quarter.
Storm responded resolutely in the last 15 minutes although never came close to overturning the sizeable deficit, with league leaders Pulse seeing out victory to secure their spot in Sunday's season finale.
"It's just amazing," said Sam Bird, London Pulse's director of netball. "I'm so happy for the club, the players and all the staff. It's the first time we've ever been in a final, it has been a brilliant atmosphere and I'm just so proud.
"I thought the pair of them in the circle [Funmi Fadoju and Halimat Adio] were just absolutely immense. There was no way through there, they just shut the door and were a really good partnership."
Loughborough Lightning made it through to their fifth Grand Final in six years after coming through a tight tussle with defending champions Manchester Thunder to claim a 65-59 win.
Thunder trailed by three after the opening quarter before impressing in the second to hold a one-goal advantage at half-time in the high-scoring contest.
Lightning produced a strong finish to the third quarter to take a seven-goal cushion into the last, where they saw out victory to ensure they face Pulse on Sunday.
"Oh my god, it was an incredible game," said Lightning centre Natalie Panagarry, who was awarded player of the match. "I'm just so proud of the team. I'm not sure this [player of the match] belongs to me, I just thought the whole team was phenomenal. I'm just so proud we're in that final."
Attention now turns to the final day of the season, where Storm will face Thunder at 2pm ahead of Pulse against Lightning from 4.15pm.
Who will win the Netball Super League Grand Final? Watch live on Sunday from 1.45pm on Sky Sports Arena and - for free - on the Sky Sports YouTube channel.
