Celtic Dragons are planning a Lightning strike of their own live on Sky television on Monday.
Cardiff-based Dragons are at home against Loughborough Lightning in a Vitality Netball Superleague at the Sport Wales National Centre (7pm).
Australian coach Julie Hoornweg and her players are intent on springing a Superleague surprise in a big match for the Dragons.
Loughborough are second in the table, six points behind leaders Team Bath and just ahead third-placed benecosMavericks.
Goalkeeper Kelly Morgan, vice-captain of Wales and Dragons, will be a key player in the clash with Lightning.
Kelly, who works as a research fellow at Cardiff University, has been nominated for a Chwarae Teg ‘Womenspire’ award.
The charity Chwarae Teg, which is Welsh for ‘fair play’, has been campaigning since 1992 for ‘a Wales where women achieve and prosper’.
Bridgend-based Kelly has been nominated in the ‘Sport’ category, selected from 400 other nominees to be one of the four finalists for the award.
More information about ‘Womenspire’ and the awards evening can be found here.
Celtic Dragons Tickets are on sale. Head to Ticketline to get yours: https://tinyurl.com/ycl6px69
Dragons went down 70-42 against Surrey Storm away. The match was played at Surry Sports Park.
Quarter scores (Storm first): 19-7; 14-10 (33-17); 23-11 (56-28); 14-14 (70-42).
Team Bath Netball included Commonwealth Games champions Eboni Beckford-Chambers and Kadeen Corbin, who showed off their medals before the start, their team for a 66-39 win against Dragons.
In their first game at the Team Bath Arena for two months, the Blue and Gold home team treated a four-figure attendance to a scintillating first-half display as they stormed into a 39-13 lead.
Dragons showed tremendous spirit to win the third quarter 17-10. but Team Bath were determined to boost their goal average and finished strongly to underline their overall dominance.
“Credit to Dragons in that third quarter, we got sloppy and they punished us,” said Bath’s head coach Anna Stembridge.
“We want to be in the top four so wins count and goals count. but it was a great response by us in the last 15 minutes.
“I keep demanding a performance from us across all four quarters and we’re not quite there yet, but it was an improvement and I’m proud of the girls tonight.”
Team Bath starting 7: GS Kadeen Corbin, GA Sophie Drakeford-Lewis, WA Rachel Shaw, C Mia Ritchie, WD Imogen Allison, GD Layla Guscoth, GK Eboni Beckford-Chambers. Replacements: Chelsea Lewis, Tash Pavelin, Paige Reed, Jess Shaw, Zanele Vimbela.
Celtic Dragons starting 7: GS Georgia Rowe, GA Cara Lea Moseley, WA Amanda Varey, C Kyra Jones, WD Suzy Drane, GD Nia Jones, GK Kelly Morgan. Replacements: Sara Bell, Sarah Llewellyn, Megan Powell, Eleanor Roberts, Leila Thomas.
Quarter-scores (Bath first): 17-8; 39-13 (22-5); 49-30 (10-17); 66-39 (17-9).
Attendance: 1,000.
Vitality Netball Superleague results, Saturday: Severn Stars 55, benecosMavericks 44; Team Northumbria 51, Manchester Thunder 58; Surrey Storm 51, Team Bath 56; UWS Sirens 45, Wasps 59.
VITALITY SUPERLEAGUE 2018
Pos | Team | P | W | L | + | – | +/- | GA | Pts |
1 | Wasps Netball | 11 | 11 | 0 | 713 | 495 | 218 | 1.44 | 33 |
2 | Loughborough Lightning | 11 | 8 | 3 | 639 | 543 | 96 | 1.18 | 24 |
3 | Team Bath | 11 | 8 | 3 | 582 | 522 | 60 | 1.11 | 24 |
4 | Manchester Thunder | 11 | 8 | 3 | 626 | 570 | 56 | 1.10 | 24 |
5 | benecosMavericks | 11 | 8 | 3 | 612 | 562 | 50 | 1.09 | 24 |
6 | Surrey Storm | 11 | 3 | 8 | 593 | 607 | -14 | 0.98 | 9 |
7 | Severn Stars | 11 | 3 | 8 | 521 | 573 | -52 | 0.91 | 9 |
8 | Team Northumbria | 12 | 2 | 10 | 548 | 687 | -139 | 0.80 | 6 |
9 | Celtic Dragons | 9 | 2 | 7 | 397 | 540 | -143 | 0.74 | 6 |
10 | UWS Sirens | 10 | 1 | 9 | 432 | 564 | -132 | 0.77 | 3 |
2018 Vitality Netball Superleague
Celtic Dragons fixtures and results
February
Monday 12: Celtic Dragons 49, benecosMavericks 61
Saturday 17: Celtic Dragons 35, Team Bath 54
Saturday 24: Loughborough Lightning 69, Celtic Dragons 45
Monday 26: Celtic Dragons 55, Surrey Storm 50
March
Saturday 3: Manchester Thunder v Celtic Dragons (postponed, rearranged for June 11, 7pm)
Saturday 10: Celtic Dragons 49, Severn Stars 40
Sunday 18: Wasps Netball 74, Celtic Dragons 32
April
Saturday 28: Celtic Dragons 51 Team Northumbria 56
May
Friday 4: Team Bath 66, Celtic Dragons 39
Monday 7: Surrey Storm 70, Celtic Dragons 42
Monday 14: Celtic Dragons v Loughborough Lightning, 7pm (Live on Sky)
Saturday 19: benecosMavericks v Celtic Dragons, TBC
Friday 25: Celtic Dragons v Manchester Thunder, 7pm
Monday 28: UWS Sirens v Celtic Dragons, 7pm
June
Saturday 2: Team Northumbria v Celtic Dragons, 6pm
Saturday 9: Celtic Dragons v Wasps Netball, 4pm
Saturday 16: Celtic Dragons v UWS Sirens, 4pm
Monday 25: Severn Stars v Celtic Dragons, 7:30pm