Pulse trounce Panthers as Lightning beat Thunder

London Pulse have begun the season with five wins from six matches Defending champions London Pulse completed a third consecutive victory as they brushed aside Birmingham Panthers 78-45 in Netball Super League - the biggest winning margin of the season so far. The result at the Copper Box moves Pulse up to second place in the table, overtaking Manchester Thunder who lost 68-58 to leaders Loughborough Lightning. Pulse took early control against winless Panthers, leading 24-8 by the end of the first quarter and 42-18 at the halfway mark.

It was a ruthless effort against a team who have lost all of their matches so far by at least 10 points. "We needed a game like this. We all came together, we knew exactly what we had to do.

We're really proud of ourselves," Pulse's player of the match Funmi Fadoju told BBC Sport. "It was so important for us to show we're not a one-dimensional team, we have different combos, different structures and they do work. It just gave us confidence going into the second half of the season.

" Pulse face London Mavericks in a derby fixture in the next round, marking the halfway stage in the regular season. Coach Sue Bird said Saturday's victory would help Pulse press on, with the first-time champions looking to triumph again. "Building on what we've done, stepping up the intensity on everything we do, just becoming a real menace to play against," said Bird, discussing her plan for the rest of the campaign.