Netball Superleague 2019: Thunder win thriller to face Wasps in Grand Final

Team Bath had beaten Manchester Thunder twice this season

Manchester Thunder will play Wasps in the Netball Superleague Grand Final after beating Team Bath 57-54 in a thrilling semi-final.

Wasps won the other semi-final earlier on Saturday, beating Loughborough Lightning 74-54 in Coventry.

Thunder are going for their first title since 2014, while Wasps will be playing for their third crown in succession.

The final takes place on Saturday, 18 May at London's Copper Box Arena - the third and fourth play-off is before it.

Manchester Thunder 57-54 Team Bath

Two early turnovers from Bath had Thunder on the back foot and with the visitors playing a high defensive line, the home side struggled to settle.

But a tip from Thunder goalkeeper Kerry Almond off a loose Sophie Drakeford-Lewis pass sent the message Bath would have to do much more to truly rattle them.

A series of Bath errors gifted Thunder control and they ended the first quarter 18-14 ahead.

Bath pegged Thunder back before Black and Yellows centre Caroline O'Hanlon drifted in to steal from Serena Guthrie and Thunder edged ahead again.

The relentless and frenetic pace did not slow in the second half, as some tired passes started to creep in from both sides.

Thunder sensed Bath's unrest under pressure and gradually turned the screw, carrying that momentum through to the final quarter.

Lifted by a sell-out home crowd, Thunder somehow survived a stunning late rally from Bath to seal a deserved victory.

Thunder head coach Karen Greig, speaking to BBC Sport, said: "Unbelievable performance. We were slow out of the blocks but once we found our feet we really chipped away at them and put them under a lot of pressure.

"It wasn't a perfect performance but it was a pressure game and we dealt with it really well.

"We tweaked a few things in defence after Bath crucified us a few times there this season."

Wasps 74-54 Loughborough Lightning

Loughborough were pressured into mistakes by Wasps

Lightning stormed into an early lead as Wasps stuttered in the opening exchanges.

Sara Bayman's side kept Wasps at bay, but a superb airborne intercept from South Africa's Bongi Msomi sparked her team into life and they came back to within one (15-14) at the end of the first period.

Wasps picked up where they left off at the beginning of the second quarter and led 33-30 at half-time.

They showed composure and experience to grasp the momentum in the third period, scoring 20 goals, and led by nine (53-44) heading into the final quarter.

Lightning lost shooter Mary Cholhok to injury and it disrupted their rhythm, and Wasps were ruthless, especially in attack, with shooter Rachel Dunn in world-class form.

Although Cholhok returned to the court, the game was already lost and the result means the wait goes on for Lightning's inaugural Superleague title, while Wasps, who were only formed after the 2016 season, made it three finals in three attempts

Former Wasps head coach Tamsin Greenway, talking to Sky Sports, said: "It was a great game.

"Wasps turned over so much ball and gave their attack the best opportunity.

"Loughborough did fight but Wasps have the best defensive record in the league and Lightning have the worst, and that's why you got that scoreline in the end."