London Pulse claimed their first Netball Super League title as they defeated two-time reigning champions Loughborough Lightning 53-45 in the Grand Final.
Pulse – who had beaten Lightning twice already this season – earned the win on home soil in front of a record-breaking crowd at The O2, with Funmi Fadoju named player of the match.
Lightning, who were seeking the league’s first three-peat of titles, had the first centre pass but Pulse’s defence stood firm, with Halimat Aido quickly earning the first intercept of the game allowing Liv Tchine to take the first point of the final.
As the teams’ nerves settled, both made handling errors allowing plenty of turnovers and opportunities, which at first favoured the reigning champions.
As the super shot time approached Pulse found their flow and the shooting circle but both sides had trouble converting. But fan-favourite Tchine came through to take the first super shot as the London side built confidence in front of an enthralled crowd.
Alicia Scholes catches the ball under pressure from Beth Cobden of Loughborough Lightning
Towards the end of the first quarter, Pulse had built a narrow lead, but roared on by the crowd Tchine sunk two more points to extend the lead to 12-8.
Pulse continued to show their strength in the second quarter despite a determined Loughborough and a calm Wallace-Joseph, who was taking regular shots from the super shot zone.
As Pulse grew their lead to 20-13, the super shot changed the game once again. Lightning struck back and capitalised on the two-point opportunities to draw Pulse back in with both Clark and Wallace-Joseph unwilling to take a one point.
London Pulse’s Tyler Orr (left) and Loughborough Lightning’s Beth Cobden in action in front of a large crowd at the O2 Arena
Their efforts paid off as Wallace-Joseph brought her team back within two with a buzzer beating super shot, bringing the score to 26-24 going into half-time.
Despite the Lightning duo of Clark and Wallace-Joseph working well together, their experienced centre court team-mates struggled to break the Pulse defence, which featured the formidable Fadoju.
Sixteen-year-old Gracie Smith fed two back-to-back soaring long shots right into the hands of Tchine to extend Pulse’s lead to 39-33 with nine-and-a-half minutes left of the third quarter.
Despite a brief injury scare to Tchine, nothing was stopping Pulse side as their shooter converted two more super shots to extend the lead to a comfortable 41-33.
Lightning came out fighting in the final quarter and within five minutes had narrowed their deficit to 44-38. Pulse soon called the first tactical timeout with just over eight minutes left, and they came back calmer and on the edge of making team history.
Each time the ball landed in Pulse hands in the closing minutes, the arena exploded. On the edge of their seats, the crowd spurred the soon-to-be champions on as the last minute ticked away.
London Pulse’s Halimat Adio celebrates victory
Tchine took one more super shot just as the clock hit zero to spark sheer joy from packed O2 crowd, who jumped to their feet as celebrations echoed around the arena.
Youngster Smith egged on the crowd to raise the volume louder as the match ended, with London Pulse adding the Grand Final trophy to their Super Cup and regular season title earlier in the season.
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