T-birds beat Pulse for first netball win

Jun 12, 2016 - 5:53 AM The Adelaide Thunderbirds have finally got on the board in the trans-Tasman netball league, beating fellow strugglers the Central Pulse 60-46.

The two sides sit at the foot of their respective conferences and the Thunderbirds, two-time winners of the ANZ Championship, went into the clash as the only team to have lost every match this season.

The result was welcome relief for caretaker Adelaide coach Kristy Keppich-Birrell and her players, who were already out of play-off contention.

For the Pulse, the defeat means their record drops to 1-8 with one draw, but the bottom-heavy nature of the New Zealand table means they remain in the hunt for a finals spot with three games to play.

Adelaide's victory in Wellington on Sunday was built on a big third quarter, which they began with an 8-1 run to kick out to a 10-goal lead.

Goal shoot Kristina Brice finished with 44 goals from 49 attempts, and her 1.96m height made her good target for feeders Maddy Proud and Khao Watts.

The Pulse, with skipper Katrina Grant leading their defensive effort, had made it a tight contest in the first half, when the lead seesawed before the Thunderbirds went into the main break up 30-27.

But the flood of goals that the home side conceded in the first seven minutes of the third quarter swung the match firmly away from them.

Source: AAP