By Paul Osborne

Surrey Storm have triumphed over the Hertfordshire Mavericks at the Copper Box Arena in London ©Gary BakerMarch 8 - Surrey Storm cemented their place atop the Zeo Netball Superleague with victory over the Hertfordshire Mavericks in front of a record-breaking crowd at the Copper Box Arena in London.

The first ever Netball London Live match saw 3,151 eager fans make their way to the London 2012 venue to watch some of England's top stars in action in what proved to be one of the most exciting games of the Superleague season.

After a somewhat shaky start by Storm, the official match hosts led the Mavericks by 16 points to 12 at the end of the first quarter, increasing this led to eight at the halfway mark.

Despite falling to a 10 point deficit moving into the final quarter, a late rally by the Mavericks set up a frantic finale with just two points separating the teams come the final whistle.

The results means Surrey remain unbeaten this season and stay top of the table going into round eight, while the Mavericks remain fourth.

A record 3,151 fans came to watch the game in London's Copper Box Arena ©Ezra RollinsonA record 3,151 fans came to watch the game in London's Copper Box Arena ©Ezra Rollinson



The attendance at the Superleague match, which was held on International Women's Day, was almost double that of the previous record attendance for a domestic game of 1,607 set in the final match of the 2013 season between Team Bath and Celtic Dragons.

The Copper Box encounter saw powerful defensive work from Katy Holland and captain Hannah Reid, which allowed Storm to open the scoring in the second quarter with a few sloppy passes from the Mavericks giving the hosts the opportunity to increase the lead further.

An enthusiastic crowd created a buzz in the arena, encouraging Storm to fight harder than ever, resulting in a succession of three quick goals, leaving the score at half time 30-22.

Mavericks team coach Karen Atkinson must have given the team-talk of a lifetime in the break as her side came alive in the fourth to set up a superb finale.

The deficit was reduced to five points when Surrey player-coach Tamsin Greenway called a time out, but it did not affect Mavericks' concentration.

The visitors continued to press in the closing minutes, battling back to within just a point of their local rivals.

But Surrey held their nerve to add a late goal and secure their sixth victory of the season 52-50.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
March 2014:Copper Box Arena set to host biggest ever UK domestic netball match