Thunder trip the light fantastic

NETBALL: THUNDER hit back from defeat against Team Bath to sweep aside Loughborough Lightning 72-40 at home in the Fiat Superleague.

Janelle Lawson made her presence felt in the visitors’ circle early on, helping the hosts build-up a commanding 21-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Tracey Neville’s Thunder side made a strong start to the second quarter.

The team’s passing game was smooth and by half-time the advantage was 38-19.

Cheered on by a vociferous away following, Lightning came alive in the third quarter and landed some spectacular goals of their own.

But Lightning’s spark ran out and the home side stormed 53-28 clear with a quarter remaining - a lead they continued to press onward in the last period.




DEFENDER Emma Dovey and mid-court star Laura Malcolm have been named in the England squad to play Jamaica in a three-match test series.



The Oldham Netball Club and Thunder duo will fly to the Caribbean at the end of March to acclimatise to conditions before facing the Sunshine Girls in a trio of matches.

The opening encounter takes place on Tuesday, April 2, with the second contest being played a day later and the third on April 6. England are in third place in the world rankings, with their hosts in fourth.