Sophie Kelly scored 22 goals at the Lee Valley Velopark on a warm afternoon that will live long in London Pulse's memory—a 60-56 victory over Loughborough Lightning that sent the defending Netball Super League champions through to the grand final for another shot at glory.
The preliminary final was a tight, tactical battle that showed why these teams matter to British netball. Pulse, who finished second in the regular season behind Manchester Thunder, has learned how to win when it counts. They triumphed over Lightning for the second consecutive year, having beaten them in last year's grand final, and this time they did it in the knockout stages when everything was on the line. After the first quarter ended level at 16-16, Pulse took a 30-29 lead at half-time and extended their advantage to 47-45 after 45 minutes, then held on through the final stretch.
Liv Tchine was the steadying force at the shooting end, converting 30 goals for Pulse, while Samantha Wallace-Joseph answered with 28 for Lightning, who had finished third in the regular season despite an extraordinary opening run of nine straight wins. The balance of the match hung on such fine margins—four points—and on the composure of players like Kelly, who was named player of the match and reflected honestly on what it took to get here.
"We stuck to the gameplan and everyone left everything on the court," Kelly said. "We deserved that so much." For Pulse, that moment mattered because they were answering a question that had haunted them for a week. The previous Saturday, Manchester Thunder had beaten them 60-56 in the major semi-final—the same scoreline, reversed. Coach Sam Bird had been upset after that loss, but she saw something vital in her players' response. "The leaders in the group said, 'We know we can do better than this, this is on us,'" Bird recalled. "I enjoyed the way we played. We talked about having that tenacity and belief and really breaking up the partnerships of Loughborough. After our first quarter, I thought that was our best quarter of the season and they just pushed on for the whole game."
That resilience now sets up a Manchester rematch on the biggest stage. Pulse and Thunder had split their regular-season fixtures, each winning at home, but Thunder emerged victorious in the semi-final. Now they will meet again on Saturday, 20 June, at Co-op Live in Manchester (15:00 BST) for the championship. For Pulse, it is a chance to reclaim the title they held as defending champions. For Thunder, it is a chance to finish what they started. For British netball, it is a final between two teams who understand each other, who push each other, and who both belong in this moment.