NETBALL'S new Super-league got off to a thrilling start last weekend at Liverpool's Greenbank Sports Academy when Merseysidebased Northern Thunder took on London's Brunel Hurricanes in the opening match.
However, despite a bright start, the Thunder was silenced by a hurricane as the London girls took a lead in the middle of the first quarter, which they never surrendered.
Playing in front of a sellout crowd, Hurricanes' three England international stars, Sonia Mkoloma, Chimoa Ezeogu and Abby Teare proved that top-level experience is critical for success at this level.
Although Thunder had England international Karen Greig in their line-up the strength and experience of the Hurricanes made the difference as they took a commanding 15-9 lead in the first quarter.
Despite some sound attacking play from the Thunder attacking combination of MacDonald and Greig, Hurricanes maintained their grip on the match to lead 31-22 at half-time.
Thunder coach Marion Lofthouse tried to fire new energy into her squad by bringing on Scottish international Claudia Henison for the second half and making some positional changes but nothing could dampen down the Hurricanes as they powered their way to a 66-43 victory.
Thunder's next match is against Leeds Met Carnegie in Sheffield on Friday. The next home match for Thunder is on Saturday, November 5 when they take on Celtic Dragons from Wales.
The Figleaves.com Netball Superleague involves seven clubs in England and one in Wales and is the premier domestic netball competition in the UK. Each club will play seven home and seven away fixtures and the competition will help the England and Wales squads to prepare for the Commonwealth Games.
The November 5 event starts with a Youth showcase warm-up match at 6.15pm with the main match starting at 7.30pm. Tickets are £5 (£3 for concessions) and are available on the door or in advance from www.thundernetball.com THUNDER: McCarthy (GK), Taaffe (GD), Mercer (WD), Newell (C), Taylor (WA), Greig (GA), MacDonald (GS) Subs: Ferneyhough, Henison, Hulse, Szehofner, McQuade HOME FIXTURES: Sat Oct 22 v Brunel Hurricanes (2pm), Sat Nov 5 v Celtic Dragons (8pm), Sat Dec 10 v Mavericks (2pm), Fri Dec 16 v Loughborough Lightning (20.00), Fri Feb 3 v Leeds Met Carnegie (20.00), Sat Feb 25 v Team Northumbria (14.00), Sat May 13 v Team Bath (2pm)
