Surrey Storm turned a disappointing weekend round on Monday evening with an almost flawless win over table toppers Manchester Thunder, ending the north-west side’s 100% record in the 2016 Vitality Netball Superleague season.
The victory, which was broadcast live on Sky Sports, sent waves across the Superleague and has given Storm the boost they needed going into Saturday’s Netball London Live showdown with Hertfordshire Mavericks.
“We know that they are a tough team to go up against and it would be a challenging.” said Sky Sports Player of the Match Rachel Dunn after the game. “We needed 4 consistent quarters to beat them and that is what we achieved. It was great to go there and get the win.”
Click here to watch Dunn’s post-match interview with Sky Sports.
A scrappy opening few exchanges for both sides saw Storm briefly take a 2 goal lead, before the hosts took control midway through the first quarter. Dunn picked up her game and went into full-flow attack most late on, before ending the period with a characteristic long bomb to reduce Thunders lead at 14-12.
Storm flew out of the blocks in Q2 to bring the scores level at 15-all, before a flying Katy Holland interception allowed Dunn to continue her fine form at the opposite end and hand Storm a single goal lead at 17-18. Neither side were able to take a significant advantage throughout the remainder of the half though, and it was the hosts who re-took their 2 goal lead into the break at 26-24.
Amy Flanagan (WD) and Josie Huckle (GK) hit the court for Q3, with captain Hannah Reid pushing forward into GD, and with the changes taking their time to bed into the game Thunder were able to turnover immediately and extend their lead to 4 goals. Flanagan handed Surrey some much needed confidence with two mid-court interceptions, allowing her side to pull back level before Dunn and Cookey worked their magic to give Storm a 35-39 lead heading into the final quarter.
Desperate to re-take control of the tie and protected their unbeaten record, Thunder worked hard to create chances early in Q4 but Storm remained composed, and the lead quickly extended to 6 goals thanks to some lively rebounding from Huckle. More interceptions followed and there was no turning back for the duck egg blue army, who took home a fine 3 points from a 49-55 win.
All attentions now turn to Saturday’s Netball London Live match at the Copper Box Arena, with Storm hosting Hertfordshire Mavericks in yet another sold out round 7 match.
Missed out on tickets for that game? Watch live coverage on Sky Sports 5 from 5.30pm and follow updates throughout the day on the official Surrey Storm Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels.
Surrey Storm starting 7:
GK – Reid
GD – Holland
WD – Ainsworth
C – Candappa
WA – Lees
GA – Cookey
GS – Dunn
Changes: Austin to C (Q2), Candappa to C, Flanagan to WD, Huckle to GK, Reid to GD (Q3)
Manchester Thunder starting 7:
GK – Kelly
GD – Dovey
WD – Malcolm
C – Bayman
WA – Leota
GA – Haythornthwaite
GS – Housby
Changes: Gibson to GD (Q3), Dovey to GD (Q4)
Storm Shooting Stats:
Dunn – 37/42, 88%
Cookey – 18/23, 78%
Team – 55/65, 85%
Thunder Shooting Stats:
Housby – 30/35, 86%
Haythornthwaite – 19/22, 86%
Team – 49/57, 86%
Quarter Time Scores:
Q1 – 14-12
Q2 – 26-24 (12-12)
Q3 – 35-40 (9-16)
Q4 – 49-55 (14-15)
© Copyright 2024 Surrey Storm
