London Pulse made it five wins on the bounce thanks to victories over Strathclyde Sirens and London rivals, Surrey Storm.
When the Netball Superleague fixtures were released before the start of the season, this would have been a weekend that Pulse fans had circled on their calendars. With back-to-back home games and a London derby, it was imperative that the side performed in front of their home supporters.
The first game of this busy period saw London Pulse welcome Surrey Storm. Storm had made the trip across the capital to the Copper Box looking to recover from their tight defeat at the hands of Strathclyde Sirens.
In typical derby style, the game was cagey from the off. Neither team were able to pull away and establish a significant lead, but it was London Pulse who eventually took control.
Olivia Tchine, one of the league’s top scorers this season, came into the game in good form. This showed as she took over in the first half. Tchine’s scoring, along with Funmi Fadoju’s defence, helped Pulse establish a gap which they held onto for the rest of the game.
London Pulse managed to defeat their rivals 56-50 in a well-fought win, with Tchine’s performance the standout from the derby clash.
Speaking after the game, Player of the Match Olivia Tchine was overjoyed.
“Words actually can’t explain [how I feel], I’m really, really happy,” she said. “We knew it was going to be a tough game, but we just gave it our all and the result says it.”
Pulse were back at the Copper Box 48 hours later with Strathclyde Sirens next on the agenda.
During the early stages of this game, London Pulse were far from their best.
Pulse looked fatigued, both mentally and physically, and allowed the Sirens to take an 8-9 first-quarter lead. This cagey affair continued into quarter two and the sides went in at the half with the scores level at 19-19.
The third-quarter saw a real shift in momentum. Pulse head coach Samantha Bird must have given the team the hairdryer treatment and her side responded well to it.
The game turned on its head and Pulse took a 10-point advantage heading into the final quarter. They managed to keep this lead throughout the fourth and saw the game out, eventually winning 48-38.
London Pulse now find themselves third in the Superleague table, with a crunch game against Manchester Thunder up next. In what would be their sixth win in a row, Pulse have a real opportunity to close the gap on the league leaders with a victory.
