Lightning beat Dragons to go top of Super League
The reigning champions led from early in the first quarter and gradually extended their advantage to complete a comfortable 71-54 victory at Utilita Arena.
Lightning led 35-28 at half-time and never looked like letting that lead slip in a clinical display that saw them record a 93% shooting success, missing just four shots all game.
Goal shooter Samantha Wallace-Joseph top-scored for the visitors with 32 goals, while Dragons' Georgia Rowe had 35 goals in a losing cause.
Victory moves Vic Burgess' Lightning three points clear of London Pulse, who host Birmingham Panthers on Sunday (18:00 BST).
Leeds Rhinos take on Manchester Thunder in a match you can watch live on BBC iPlayer at 16:00 on Sunday.
Elsewhere, London Mavericks came from behind to beat Nottingham Forest 57-48 at Hertfordshire Sports Village.
Forest were 29-23 ahead at half-time but the Mavericks made a quick start to the third quarter and quickly got themselves on top.
Australian Emily Andrew continued her fine debut NSL season with 42 goals as Mavericks kept themselves in front to secure a seventh win of the campaign.
Saturday, 24 May
London Mavericks 57-48 Nottingham Forest
Cardiff Dragons 54-71 Loughborough Lightning
Sunday, 25 May
Leeds Rhinos v Manchester Thunder (16:00 BST - watch on BBC iPlayer)
London Pulse v Birmingham Panthers (18:00 BST)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Smith wins, but fails to lick Tongue in Ashes preview
A 100-ball thrash in Cardiff is a long way from a Test match in Perth, and not just geographically, but there was an Ashes sub-plot when Steve Smith faced up to Josh Tongue at Sophia Gardens. Smith was opening the batting for a Welsh Fire side badly in need of a win after losing their first two Hundred Men matches. Tongue was opening the bowling for visitors Manchester Originals. Fast forward 100 days and the pair could well be in opposition in the opening Ashes Test. An uncapped Tongue was the first English bowler to dismiss Smith during the latter's spell with Sussex ahead of the 2023 Ashes. He then dismissed Smith in both innings of that year's Lord's Test, albeit the batter had already made 110 in the first dig. So there was a bit of history as Tongue ran in to bowl at Smith in the Welsh capital on Wednesday. Steve Smith hits HARD 💥#TheHundred — The Hundred (@thehundred) August 13, 2025 Smith had already faced five balls from Sonny Baker, England's next fast bowling hope who rushed David Warner on Monday, surviving a tight lbw appeal first ball then cracking a wide one through cover for four. Tongue's second ball was also widish, and Smith launched it for an extraordinary six over cover. Advantage Smith. When Tongue returned for a second set Smith lifted him over the extra cover in-field for four. Tongue replied with a 145kph head-high bouncer that Smith, hooking, failed to connect with. Steve Smith was starting to hit some big Josh Tongue did THIS 🔥#TheHundred — The Hundred (@thehundred) August 13, 2025 Smith charged the next ball, but Tongue saw him coming and dug it into the pitch. The Australian, swinging shoulder-high, could only thick edge to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler, departing for 26 off 22. It might not mean much come Perth, but dismissing Smith once more won't do Tongue any harm. But given the context Smith won't be concerned. As he said beforehand: "You're going to fail more than you succeed in this format, so don't overthink things too much, go out and play with a free spirit, and hopefully make some scores." With Baker having had Fire's other star opener, Jonny Bairstow, caught slip for a duck, Fire scrambled their way to 8-137 aided by a cameo from Chris Green. Chris Green that is SENSATIONAL 🤯#TheHundred — The Hundred (@thehundred) August 13, 2025 Chris Green takes one of two superb catches to give Riley Meredith one of his four wickets The Sydney Thunder allrounder smacked Baker for six over cow corner and four over mid-off, prompting three successive wides from the tyro. He also hit Tongue for six, but was then caught off him for 19 off nine. Riley Meredith, bowling almost as quick as Tongue, soon made that target look huge, the Tasmanian taking 3-6 in ten balls to reduce Originals to 3-14. Green dismissed Heinrich Klaasen, following up with the key wicket of Buttler (57 off 34) caught in the deep, finishing with 3-19 off his 20. He also took a couple of superb catches. Meredith came back to bowl Baker and close with 4-9 off 17 balls, earning Fire victory by 25 runs. Earlier, in Southampton, Hilton Cartwright was dismissed for one as Southern Brave were restricted to 5-139 by Northern Superchargers. Laurie Evans, who has played BBL for Melbourne Renegades and Perth Scorchers, top-scored with 53 and James Coles made 49. New Zealand duo Jacob Duffy (3-26) and Mitchell Santner (2-24) both shone in their 20-ball stints. Superchargers looked to be easing to victory but Jofra Archer (2-15 off 20) took two late wickets and it came down to the last ball. Needing five to win Graham Clark (38no) slapped Tymal Mills for six.
New York Times
42 minutes ago
- New York Times
Liverpool closing in on deal to sign Parma defender Giovanni Leoni
Liverpool are closing in on completing the signing of Parma defender Giovanni Leoni in a deal worth an initial £26million ($35.2m). The Athletic reported on August 12 that Liverpool were interested in Leoni and were trying to persuade him to move to Anfield. There is no full agreement in place yet but it is close. Advertisement The pursuit of Leoni is in conjunction with the move for Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace as Arne Slot looks to bolster his options at the back with only three fit central defenders currently available to him. Liverpool regard the 18-year-old as one of the most talented young central defenders in European football. Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes held talks with Parma CEO Federico Cherubini on Wednesday to finalise the transfer. Leoni made his senior debut for Padova in Serie C in March 2023, aged just 16 years and 3 months – making him the youngest professional footballer to feature in Italy that season. In February the following year, he joined Serie B club Sampdoria on loan and the deal was made permanent in June 2024 after he the centre-half impressed in the Italian second-tier in the second half of the 2023-24 campaign. In August 2024, Leoni stepped up another division when he joined Parma just two months after his permanent transfer to Sampdoria. The teenager made 17 appearances, including 14 from the start, in the top flight last term, as Parma finished 16th. Leoni has been capped by Italy's Under-19 side, and has a contract with Parma until summer 2029. Liverpool have been looking for defensive reinforcements since selling Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen last month. The Premier League champions have enjoyed a busy summer with Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong arriving from Bayer Leverkusen alongside Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt and Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth while the club maintain an ongoing interest in Newcastle United's Alexander Isak. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Premier League chief calls for patience as Man City legal case drags on
LONDON (AP) — The Premier League's top official called for patience Wednesday while the seismic legal case involving Manchester City drags on into another season. City was charged by the league in February 2023 with more than 100 financial breaches, including providing misleading information about its sources of income. The case was heard by an independent commission between September and December last year but no verdict has been reached. Punishment could be as extreme as expulsion from the top flight. City has always denied the charges. The issue hangs over the start of another Premier League campaign, with the 2025-26 season starting Friday. But Richard Masters, the competition's chief executive, reiterated the league has no control or say over the timings. Asked in an interview with British broadcaster Sky Sports News why the league could not hurry the process along, Masters said: 'I can't answer that specific question. All I can tell you about is the system and how it works. 'I mean, it's an independent judiciary, essentially. So once the allegations, the charge, has been put forward, they go before an independent panel, which is independently selected, and they are then in charge of the process and its timings. They hear the case, they decide the outcome, and we have no influence over that, over it or its timing. That's right from an independence point of view." Masters said 'my frustration is irrelevant.' 'I just have to wait,' he said, "and legal processes rarely take less time than you anticipated, but we have to be patient.' Taking the Premier League abroad The Spanish league has recently approved a request for a match, between Villarreal and Barcelona, to be played in the United States in December and Masters was asked whether the Premier League had any similar desire to take a game abroad. Masters said the need has lessened. 'We did look at the '39th game' way back when, with lots of controversy. I recall that very clearly," Masters said of a controversial proposal made back in 2008 of having an extra round of matches played overseas. 'Our objective at the time, when thinking about it, was to help grow the Premier League around the world. 'And we've been able to do that through different means, through brilliant broadcast partnerships, through digital technology, investing in other areas, like the Summer Series tournament we've just had in the U.S., and now the Premier League is a genuinely global league. There are billions of people who will be tuning in over the course of the next next nine months to watch Premier League action. So we've achieved that objective by different means, that necessity has dissipated.' ___ AP soccer:
