History made at Lee Valley VeloPark as London Pulse defeat Loughborough Lightning

Lee Valley VeloPark witnessed a landmark moment in its netball history as defending champions London Pulse booked their place in the Netball Super League Grand Final with a thrilling 60 - 56 victory over Loughborough Lightning. 

In what was the venue’s first ever hosting of a major Netball Super League preliminary final, the atmosphere matched the occasion. Fans packed into Lee Valley VeloPark on Saturday 13 June to see elite netball take centre stage. 

London Pulse rose to the moment. Liv Tchine lit up the court with 30 goals, helping Pulse secure a rematch with AO Manchester Thunder - the same side who edged them by the identical scoreline in last week’s major semi final.  

Having finished second behind Thunder in the regular season, Pulse once again proved their knockout pedigree, defeating Lightning at this stage for the second consecutive year after overcoming them in last season’s Grand Final. 

The match remained tight throughout, with Pulse holding a narrow 30 - 29 lead at half-time before maintaining their composure in a gripping second half.  

Lightning’s Samantha Wallace-Joseph kept her side in contention with 28 goals, capping off a season in which Lightning finished third despite opening with nine straight wins. 

But it was Pulse’s composure and the energy inside Lee Valley VeloPark that carried them home.  

Player of the match Sophie Kelly, who scored 22 goals on the VeloPark court, summed up the moment: "It was just amazing. We knew what we had to do. We knew it was going to be a really, really tough game but I am so proud of everyone on that team.” 

"We stuck to the gameplan and everyone left everything on the court. We deserved that so much. 

"Against Thunder [in the major semi final], we weren't scoring enough goals in each quarter so that was one of our focuses." 

We wish London Pulse the very best of luck in the Grand Final.