Netball Superleague 2021: Team Bath and Loughborough Lightning reach Superleague final
- Published
Bath finished the regular season in third, separated by Thunder and Lightning on goal difference
Loughborough Lightning will face Team Bath in the Netball Superleague Grand Final on Sunday at London's Copper Box.
Defending champions Manchester Thunder fell to Bath for the third time this season, as a thrilling contest finished 41-38.
Lightning convincingly beat league newcomers Leeds Rhinos 58-38 in front of a capacity crowd of 1,000.
Bath have not featured in a final since 2013 while Lightning are going for their first Superleague title.
Loughborough Lightning 58-38 Leeds Rhinos
Having not played since the end of May, Rhinos started the match with intent and were determined to make a statement in their first ever semi-final, forcing three-time finalists Lightning into errors and feeding shooters Sienna Rushton and Rhea Dixon well.
Even without star shooter Donnell Wallam, who has returned to her native Australia after a family bereavement, Rhinos weren't afraid to try the long ball and took a 14-13 lead at the end of the first quarter.
But Lightning's experience quickly became apparent and a ruthless second quarter from shooter Ella Clark allowed them to pull away to a 31-23 advantage.
With England's most-capped player Jade Clarke the engine of the team and Vicki Oyesola providing solid support in defence, Rhinos fought hard, but it was always going to be a tough ask to beat the league leaders.
Despite a two-week break, after a positive coronavirus test meant Rhinos were unable to complete their last two fixtures of the season, the Yorkshire-based outfit faded in the second half.
The league's top scorer Mary Cholhok limped off in the third quarter causing concern for Lightning head coach Sara Francis-Bayman, but the Ugandan shooter returned for the final quarter and helped her side emerge worthy winners.
Francis-Bayman hopes her side won't "get weighed down by history" when they attempt to claim a first-ever Superleague title.
"It was an OK day at the office," she said. "We didn't start well, nerves played a part in that, and credit to Rhinos as they did a good job of attacking us in the first half.
"We opened up in the second half, got more freedom in play and hopefully that gets rid of the nerves for the final."
Manchester Thunder 38-41 Team Bath
Thunder started as expected - intense, energetic and tenacious.
Bath's Kim Borger fumbled the ball on her side's first centre pass leaving Kerry Almond to pick up the pieces and Thunder to work the ball to Joyce Mvula who got the first goal on the scoreboard.
It looked like it could be a tough day for Bath, who beat Thunder twice in the regular season, as they took a few minutes to settle into their stride.
A sublime interception from Laura Malcolm summed up the defending champions' fast start.
But Bath held their composure and led 11-9 after the first quarter.
As the crowd roared them on, both sides fought for every ball and struggled to get a grip on the game - shooters at both ends came under significant defensive pressure and nerves showed as they forced attacks, but Bath managed to pull away to a 22-19 lead at half-time.
The game was not quite as frantic in the third quarter - Thunder were wasteful with their turnovers and struggled to convert their centre pass while Bath maintained a three-goal lead heading into the final period.
Thunder head coach Karen Greig and her assistant Tracey Neville made changes throughout the second half but struggled to find the winning formula.
It is characteristic of Thunder to pull a performance out of the bag when they most need it but, having trailed for all but six minutes of the match, they could not close that three-goal deficit, eventually losing 41-38.
Almond dropped to her knees at the final buzzer, knowing that was probably her last game for Thunder - while Bath celebrated reaching their first final in seven seasons.
"When you talk about great championship winning sides you don't want an easy run in," said Bath head coach Anna Stembridge.
"Having a tough game today has put us in good stead for tomorrow, the girls thrived today and they were disciplined, I'm extremely proud."
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