LOUGHBOROUGH Lightning claimed grand final glory in the Fast5 All-Stars Championships beating reigning champions Wasps Netball 61-35. It was a dominant display by the Lightning who controlled the flow of the game from the get-go and made no mistake under the ring with England international Jo Harten winning the MVP.
In front of a sell-out crowd at Copper Box Arena, Harten let her shooting do the talking with the talented goaler backing herself from range and nailing long bomb after long bomb sinking all of her teams 61 points – a new scoring system that counted as points as opposed to goals where there are five, three and one-point scoring zones. Lightning took the unconventional style of netball in their stride unfazed by the 12-minute games, Golden Buzzer Powerplay and five-point shots with Harten looking the most confident and composed on the court.
The powerplay proved to be the game changer for the Lightning with Harten going on a scoring spree pilling on 40 points in two minutes thanks to her long range shooting opening a 45-10 goal lead and ultimately handing her side the victory.
The Lightning notched up their second title win in as many years securing the inaugural championship in 2017. Wasps failed to register a win against the eventual premiers going down to them in the group stage 20-48 highlighting the Lightning’s scoring power and defensive pressure to deny access into the circle.
The Wasps showed glimpses of brilliance throughout the tournament pushing teams to their limits and flexing their muscles in the semi-finals but were unable to replicate that form in the grand final credit to a Harten masterclass.
Double Elimination Group Stage:
Wasps Netball (30) defeated Severn Stars (22)
Manchester Thunder (15) defeated by Loughborough Lightning (31)
Team Bath 28 defeated by Celtic Dragons (40)
Surrey Storm (31) defeated Saracens Mavericks (17)
Wasps Netball (20) defeated by Loughborough Lightning (48)
Celtic Dragons (35) defeated by Surrey Storm (41)
Severn Stars (14) defeated by Manchester Thunder (27)
Team Bath (23) defeated by Saracens Mavericks (36)
Wasps Netball (27) defeated Manchester Thunder (20)
Celtic Dragons (38) defeated Saracens Mavericks (36)
Semi Finals:
Surrey Storm (28) defeated by Wasps Netball (35)
Loughborough Lightning (35) defeated Celtic Dragons (33)
Final:
Wasps Netball (35) defeated by Loughborough Lightning (61)
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