Share Leah Middleton and Betsy Creak challenge for the ball A big final quarter gave Super League table-toppers Surrey Storm an ultimately emphatic victory but the scoreline didn’t reflect a much-improved performance from Team Bath Netball. A 1,700-strong crowd at the Team Bath Arena saw the Haines Watts-sponsored Blue & Gold produce plenty of fight, flair and belief during the first three quarters, with just a goal or two separating the teams in a couple of periods as they made the visitors work hard for their 55-45 advantage. However, Storm raced away during a one-sided final quarter which they won 25-9 to seal an 80-54 victory, their biggest win of the season to date. Team Bath Netball Head Coach Asha Francis believes there was plenty for her squad to take from the game, saying: “We just produced three quarters of exceptional netball against a top side who should be winning the championship this year. "The fourth quarter was more information about where we are at when we don’t have that momentum – we need to see how we can regain that feelgood factor for ourselves or what we can do as coaches from the bench to reignite that on court. “Outworking the opposition was one of the things we have been looking at and we absolutely did that tonight in three of the four quarters. We chased down every ball, we fought for every rebound, we didn’t make life comfortable for Storm. They made errors you probably wouldn’t expect.” ✅ The range ✅ The height ✅ The accuracy @Kadeen_Corbin with beautiful shooting to notch another goal up for @TeamBathNetball 🤩 Watch the second half live on @SkySports Mix and YouTube 📺#GetSomeNet l #NSL2023 pic.twitter.com/OKG1oNlN3Q — Netball Super League (@NetballSL) March 10, 2023 Ali Wilshier, named as Team Bath’s Most Valuable Player, added: “The end score doesn’t show it but I thought it was a massive step up from us tonight in the first three quarters. Each week we are seeing progression and that’s what we will take from the game.” Team Bath had been challenged by Francis to fight for every ball after last week’s defeat to Severn Stars and they did just that during a breathless first quarter, going toe-to-toe with the league leaders. The hosts forced the first turnover as they raced into a 3-0 lead and they maintained their advantage under midway through the quarter when Storm edged ahead for the first time at 6-5. However, they were never able to get more than two goals clear as Team Bath produced a brilliant team performance. Kadeen Corbin was at the heart of it, the goal-attack relishing her battle with former team-mate Layla Guscoth and playing with her trademark flair as she linked superbly with Wilshier, Bethan Dyke and shooter Betsy Creak, who netted on the buzzer to ensure there was just one goal separating the teams at the break. Storm made a rapid start to the second period, though, and quickly stretched their lead to 23-17 by rattling off five unanswered goals. Team Bath switched things up in defence, with Jayda Pechova coming on at goal-defence before moving to goal-keeper later in the quarter, and the remainder of the half was much more competitive as the Future Roses star, Imogen Allison and Dyke all made tenacious interceptions to fire up the crowd. From out of nowhere ✈️@amyhflanagan flying in to take a brilliant interception and turn the ball for @SurreyStorm 👊 Watch this battle live on @SkySports Mix and YouTube 📺 pic.twitter.com/xet9wXUWJn — Netball Super League (@NetballSL) March 10, 2023 Corbin and Creak were also in fine form at the other end of the court but, with Proscovia Peace settling into her metronomic shooting rhythm for Storm, the visitors were able to eke their half-time lead out to 39-31. Malawi captain Caroline Mtukule was introduced at the start of the third quarter for her Super League debut along with shooter Hannah Passmore, while Kirsty Harris came on at wing-attack midway through the period, and all made a good impact as Team Bath continued to make Storm work hard for their advantage. ✅ First appearance in the NSL ✅ First time in a Blue and Gold dress for @TeamBathNetball ✅ First interception Welcome to #NSL2023 Caroline Mtukule 👋 https://t.co/RhlLYfQUbc pic.twitter.com/WQpR4wS8eR — Netball Super League (@NetballSL) March 10, 2023 Passmore twice scored three goals in quick succession to cut Storm’s lead to seven but the visitors were able to reply in kind, including netting the last three goals of the quarter to edge another competitive period 18-16 and extend their lead to 55-45. Summer Artman, Lily-May Catling and Creak were reintroduced for the fourth quarter along with goal-attack Sophie Kelly, who was going up against the club for whom she made her Super League debut aged 16. However, they couldn’t prevent Storm totally dominating the final 15 minutes as the visitors won the quarter 25-9 to seal an ultimately convincing victory. Ice colddddd 🧊❄️@sophiekellly enters the game in the final quarter and makes an immediate impact for @TeamBathNetball against her former club 👊 Watch the conclusion to this match live on @SkySports Mix and YouTube 📺#GetSomeNet l #NSL2023 pic.twitter.com/P9huOOtcck — Netball Super League (@NetballSL) March 10, 2023 Follow the Netball Super League on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. Keep up with all the latest news by signing up to the NSL newsletter here. Share Tags: Team Bath Netball Surrey Storm