Photo by Morgan Harlow
Loughborough Lightning U21s and U19s and Surrey Storm U17s have been crowned champions at the 2024 NPL Tournament.
Held at the David Ross Sports Village at the University of Nottingham from Friday 26 to Sunday 28 July, Saracens Mavericks, Manchester Thunder, Leeds Rhinos, Severn Stars, Central Warriors, North East Phoenix, Loughborough Lightning, London Pulse, Surrey Storm and Team Bath were battling for the titles across each age group.
Kicking off proceedings and claiming a one goal victory in their opening match to Loughborough Lightning on Friday night, Surrey Storm’s Under 17 side went on to dominate Saturday’s group stages with a 40-20 victory over Team Bath and two further wins across the day to Central Warriors and North East Phoenix led to them topping the table for group B and securing a spot in the semi-finals on Sunday.
A strong 38-19 win over Manchester Thunder was all it took to catapult Storm into the U17 final where an electric crowd saw Surrey Storm and London Pulse battle it out for 40 minutes, before Storm ultimately claimed the title 28-26 and completed their undefeated run as Champions. With London Pulse taking second place, Team Bath claimed a final victory over Manchester Thunder and the third place title.
U17s Player of the Tournament: Ana De Wet (Team Bath)
Surrey Storm U17s side are crowned Champions
Meanwhile in the U19s competition, Loughborough Lightning were also off to a flying start with a Friday night victory over Leeds Rhinos putting them in good stead. A draw with London Pulse and a narrow loss to North East Phoenix on Saturday morning left the rest of the group stages wide open, however a one-goal win over Surrey Storm gave Lightning hope in a semi-final spot as they finished second in Group A.
Semi-finals rolled around and Lightning stepped up to face Mavericks who were unable to find their groove and soon suffered defeat at the hands of the East Midlands based powerhouse. Just 40 minutes and London Pulse stood between Lightning’s under 19s squad and victory and in a nail biting 1st vs 2nd final, set to the soundtrack of roaring fans, Lightning eventually ran down the clock and claimed the 31-28 victory. London Pulse took the silver medals with Mavericks stealing bronze.
U19s Player of the Tournament: Emily Pawlett (Loughborough Lightning)
Loughborough Lightning’s U19s side lift the trophy at this year’s NPL Tournament
The U21s competition remained as fierce as ever in 2024 and with Future Roses and NSL capped athletes dotted in and amongst the squads, fans were in for a feast. A huge 44-22 victory on Friday night saw Loughborough Lightning off on the right track however an early morning loss to London Pulse on Saturday left them with work to do. Going on to turn the tables on Leeds Rhinos before claiming an emphatic 52-16 win over North East Phoenix, last years champions soon claimed a spot in the semi-finals, where they were to meet Manchester Thunder.
A mirror of this year’s Netball Superleague Grand Final, the U21 Lightning side stole the show, taking after their NSL counterparts and securing a 46-30 win over the North West giants. Team Bath meanwhile beat London Pulse for one last run out in the final. Despite the opening half going goal for goal, a third quarter whole squad performance saw Lightning push ahead over the blue and gold, eventually sealing the deal with a 38-23 win and claiming back-to-back titles. London Pulse were named as bronze medallists whilst Team Bath settled for runners up.
U21s Player of the Tournament: Hannah Knightbridge (London Pulse)
Loughborough Lightning’s U21s side seal back-to-back victories at this year’s NPL Tournament
Re-watch all the action on englandnetball.tv, costing £7.99 for an all-access pass.
A huge thank you to all the players, coaches, support staff, officials, volunteers, supporters and England Netball partner Physique for a fantastic weekend of competition.
