Northern Thunder have pulled level on points with Hertfordshire Mavericks in the Co-operative Netball Superleague table after a patiently produced 45-38 victory in Bury on Saturday 13th February, 2010.
Tips, trips and turnover ball made for a competitive clash between the third and fourth placed teams in Superleague. Hertfordshire Mavericks got cracking as soon as the umpires got the game going and took the early initiative. Kerry Almond was back in the GK bib for Thunder after recovering from a nasty ankle injury a couple of weeks ago and was cautious in the early exchanges. As the first quarter progressed, the two sides matched up to each other and were almost even by the whistle - Thunder edged it by one.
No changes were made to Thunder’s side in the course of the game. Player of the match Jade Clarke bossed the centre court, but in the early exchanges had a real ding-dong contest with Laurelle Borck until the Mavericks player was substituted due to injury in the second quarter. Thunder led 26-22 at half time.
The Hertfordshire side were forced into another change in the 3rd period when Karen Atkinson collided with her England team-mate Sara Bayman. It made keeping tabs on Jade Clarke more tricky. Thunder used speed and patience to move eight goals up.
It was an advantage they maintained to the final whistle to go level on points in the league with a game in hand. Clarke and Bayman are looking sharp ahead of the international series with Australia. Captain Karen Greig said Northern Thunder built the win quarter by quarter, “Jade Clarke ruled the centre court, and a short patient game proved the winner.”
The player of the match Jade Clarke insisted it was a team effort. “Everyone performed today. Mavericks are known as the comeback team but we didn’t let them.”
It was a competitive game and not very pretty for Mavericks Head coach Maggie Jackson who summed up the match in six words “Thunder played better than we did.”
Northern Thunder: Kerry Almond, Emma Dovey, Sara Bayman, Jade Clarke, Rachel Henry, Charlotte Beenham, Karen Greig (c)
Subs (not used): Rachael Bramhall, Kathryn Turner, Krystal Gayle, Kate Smith, Jodie Gibson
Hertforshire Mavericks: Amanda Newton, Naida Hutchinson, Camilla Buchanan, Laurelle Borck, Karen Atkinson, Ella Clark, Louisa BrownfieldSubs: Georgia Schmidt (2nd/3rd qtr), Hazel Schofield (3rd/4th qtr), Rose Morgan-Smith (4th Qtr), Vicklyn Joseph (4th qtr)
