Loughborough Lightning kicked off their Fiat Netball Superleague campaign on
Saturday 22nd January away at Glasgow Wildcats. With Lightning having a
disappointing season last year, a new look Lightning side were back with a
vengeance, recording a 68-25 win.
Coach Olivia Murphy has introduced a host of new faces to the Lightning
squad, and the season opener provided debuts for first year Loughborough
student Sophia Candappa, Jamaican masters student Afrika Morris and Alex
Sinclair. However, the most noticeable inclusion was that of Murphy herself,
as she came out of retirement to start at centre.
As Lightning’s campaign got underway, it was clear to see that despite
bright periods nerves were evident. However, Lightning duo Jo Harten and
Becky James linked up well in the attacking circle, with James particularly
impressing under the post as she converted 100% of her shots. It wasn’t
until the end of the quarter though, that Lightning started to dominate. As
Wildcats’ concentration appeared to lapse, Lightning struck, capitalising on
errors and taking a late 5 goal lead into the break. Quarter time score
16-11.
Familiar face Masego Moutang was introduced at the start of the second
quarter in an attempt to inject pace into the Lightning attack. However, it
was Lightning’s defensive prowess which appeared most impressive this
quarter with James and Moutang challenging for loose balls in attack, and
Sinclair and Morris proving equally vigilant at the other end of the court.
It was a testament to Lightning’s hard work that Wildcats were unable to
find the net for the first 3 minutes of the quarter, and as Lightning again
finished the quarter strongly, scoring the last 7 goals and extending their
lead at half time to 34-16.
Candappa was reintroduced at the start of the second half, as Morris moved
to Goal keeper for Emma Bliss to come on at goal defence. Candappa displayed
a new found confidence, placing some sublime balls into the circle for the
ever-impressive Harten and James. Wildcats were increasingly struggling with
Lightning’s dominance, as Murphy and Talissa Haynes worked tirelessly to
stifle supply into their attacking circle, earning Lightning a number of
turnovers. As a result, Lightning ended the quarter 57-22.
The last quarter saw a number of changes, with Nicola Caunt making her debut
at goal keeper. Harten was removed after an impressive performance, with
Lianne Badmin replacing her. Candappa moved to centre, as Moutang returned
at wing attack, giving Murphy the chance to watch her team for the final
quarter. Defensively, Lightning were still relentless, but their error count
increased in attack. Badmin, however, capitalised on flying interceptions
from Bliss and Haynes in defence, converting 7 out of 8 shots. And as the
vocal support from captain Harten on the bench increased, so did Lightning’s
lead, as they increased their lead to over 40 goals. Final score 68-25 to
Lightning.
Prior to the match, Murphy claimed that the season opener was ‘not ideal’,
however there would be ‘no excuses’ by her side, and it was clear her team
had proved her correct.
‘It was a great start to the season, and it was clear that our confidence
was high. Man of the match Rebecca James was especially impressive, however,
the whole squad performed well. We still need to sharpen up some of our
passing, but it was generally a very pleasing performance to start the
season with.’
Lightning’s first home fixture is this Saturday 29th January , 6pm at the
netball centre, and it promises to be an exciting encounter as they
face 4thplaced Celtic Dragons, who also won their season opener. For
tickets or more
information please visit www.loughboroughlightning.co.uk.
Report by Kelly Somers.
