Pre Season: London Pulse v Surrey Storm

Last Thursday, London Pulse and Surrey Storm, met for a preseason friendly at the Copper Box Arena. This local derby always catches a lot of attention during the NSL league and so it was great opportunity for both sides to get a little taste of what’s to come in the 2023 season.

Chelsea Pitman and Alicia Scholes were unable to take to court for this match but were assisting on the bench. Sacha McDonald was also unavailable for this match.

Sam Bird’s starting seven for London Pulse:

(6x 10 minutes)

GS – Olivia Tchine

GA – Berri Neil

WA – Ashleigh Dekker

C – Jade Clarke

WD – Zara Everitt

GD – Funmi Fadoju

GK – Lindsay Keable

Substitutions: Ellie Rattu, Halimat Adio, Freya Henshall, Jada Autumn and Courtney Ferns

Pulse got off to a flying start and quickly put Storm under pressure, winning lots of turnover early on. Clarke and Dekker looked comfortable feeding Tchine and Neil in the circle with both shooters sharing out the shooting load. As time went by, Storm began to find their groove and started to find ways through the solid Pulse defence. They started to play smarter around the circle edge and eventually grew more confident to feed Peace from further out.

For two of the 10-minute blocks, Pulse put on an entire U21 Pulse attacking line up who stepped up to the physicality of a strong NSL side and maintained their composure. The young players took hold of the opportunity and each showed individual flare and talent. Henshall had unshaken confidence to turn to post from wherever she caught the ball, whilst Autumn and Ferns demonstrated their speed and creativity to get free from their tight and experienced defenders.

It was fantastic to see Adio back on court again for Pulse after returning from a long-term knee injury. She did not hesitate to make her mark in the defensive circle and instantly made an impact when she stepped on court, contributing to individual and team turnovers.

Storm’s new additions put out some impressive performances, often putting Pulse under pressure and causing them to reset and go again. Coach Sam Bird was impressed with the C options of Rattu and Clarke who both showed great understanding of linking the defence and attack, especially on transition. Both players were also strong in the WD option, giving the squad a flexible and talented defending mid court.

As expected, both teams are stacked with talent with their new signings bring experience and a different flavour from last season. It looks like there’s going to be another gripping rivalry between these two teams and it’s not one you’ll want to miss!