Manchester Thunder continue strong Vitality Netball Superleague pre-season campaign
Monday 16 December 2019 11:53, UK
Manchester Thunder won the Mike Greenwood Trophy after finishing on top at their pre-season Manchester Invitational Tournament.
Thunder welcomed Saracens Mavericks, Team Bath Netball and Loughborough Lightning to Platt Lane as preparations continue for the new Vitality Netball Superleague season.
The reigning champions went into the competition off a head-turning 99-40 victory over Celtic Dragons in a previous pre-season outing and continued where they left off.
Karen Greig's side won all of their group games before facing off against Saracens Mavericks in the final and prevailing 49-42.
Elsewhere, Severn Stars welcomed the Knights to the University of Worcester Arena and ran out 51-38 winners.
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The weekend prior, both sides had taken to court for a thriller at the BiG Showdown and this next meeting commenced in a similar fashion.
After a tense start, and the encounter being poised at 9-7, Melissa Bessell's side worked hard to create a cushion for themselves.
The Knights, who had Geoff Mackay becoming only their second player to reach the 50 cap milestone for them, clawed it back to 33-25 before the home side charged again.
Stars' next home pre-season outing will be on January 25 against Surrey Storm. Before then, Mikki Austin's outfit will meet the Knights on Saturday December 21.
Sky Sports is your home of netball and live action returns with the Vitality Nations Cup in January 2020. The four-nation competition starts on January 19 with England taking on the world champions New Zealand.
