After finishing fourth in the FIAT Netball Superleague regular season standings, Storm have won both their play-offs on the road and will have to three-peat at Hertfordshire Sports Village next week to claim the title.

The scoreline was a little harsh on Thunder, who were showing the signs of a long season with a depleted squad. Backed by a vociferous crowd, the home side started well and edged into an early lead, before the visitors began to dominate.

Storm took the first quarter 16-11 and were never headed. Some excellent movement through the mid-court, with Gemma Cosentino the creative spark, being backed up with excellent work from Natalie Seaton in WD was the catalyst for the victory.

A drawn second quarter saw Storm retain their five point lead at 30-25 and the game was still in the balance. But just as in their previous play-off match against TeamBath, Surrey saved their best for last. Interceptions and turnovers were the order of the day as the visitors roared into a 46-33 lead.

There was plenty of heart left in the Thunder team with the ever-inspiring Jade Clarke being ably supported by potential future England stars in the form of GD Emma Dovey and GA Kathryn Turner; who was proving to be a sharp-shooter from all over the circle and a possible wildcard for the World Netball Series.

The tempo of the game only dipped in the final quarter as the game was finally taken out of reach of the hosts.

Surrey coach Mary Beardwood was delighted with the performance, commenting: "It was a hard-fought game right the way through, and even though the score was 16 in the end, it was never easy. I think that the third quarter we really put our foot on the pedal and scored off virtually every centre pass."

Accurate

The attacking trio of Gemma Cosentino, Tamsin Greenway and Rachel Dunn were particularly effective for the visitors and Beardwood was quick to praise their efforts; "They played very well, they are very accurate, they move the ball around very well and I'm very pleased with their performance tonight; some of the feeding into Rachel tonight was superb," she added.

Storm captain Greenway sympathised with her beaten opponents. "I said to them (Thunder) that I really do feel for them because if they kept their squad together without any injuries this year they would have gone on to win it, but unfortunately that's sport," she said.

"We came out here with a job to do and it was nice to get a big score and nice not to drop off at the end and keep pressuring them. I thought that Gemma's (Cosentino) drives through the court were fantastic her second phase was spot on and her feeding."

Thunder coach Suzy Chapman said: "We are really disappointed with the result, we had our chances but didn't convert them. I am really proud of the girls, we have all been on a journey this season and will be keeping the faith."

Looking ahead to Thursday's showdown, Beardwood added: "It's going to be a really tight game, last time out we drew, so I think it should be a really good spectacle for TV."

Watch the Grand Final live on Sky Sports HD3 from 7.30pm on Thursday June 9