AO Manchester Thunder are the first team to book a place in the Netball Super League Grand Final after beating London Pulse on Saturday.
The four-time champions held on for a 60-56 win in the major semi-final to ensure they will return to the NSL showpiece after missing out last year.
Reigning champions London have another chance to reach the title decider in Manchester, though, as they will now face Loughborough Lightning in the preliminary final.
Loughborough beat Nottingham Forest 77-57 in the minor semi-final earlier on Saturday, so they and London will battle it out next week for the right to take on Manchester at Co-op Live on 20 June.
Thunder claimed a last-gasp win over Loughborough in last week’s regular-season finale to snatch top spot and condemn Lightning to a third-placed finish.
It also secured home advantage for this week’s clash with runners-up London, and Thunder burst into a 15-8 lead at the end of the first quarter at Manchester Velodrome.
Pulse trailed 30-24 at half-time and then 43-39 at the end of the third quarter, but Thunder opened up a nine-point buffer midway through the final quarter and held their nerve during the closing stages.
Eleanor Cardwell, who played in each of Thunder’s previous Grand Final wins, rejoined the team this season as she continued her recovery from a serious knee injury.
The England shooter, 31, has struggled to get back to her best but was named player of the match having led from the front with 23 goals.
“She was really dominant in that attack end so I’m really proud of her,” said Thunder coach Karen Greig.
“What a game. Pulse really brought it to us. There were ebbs and flows, a few wobbly moments, but ultimately the girls kept their heads.”
After Loughborough led 35-28 at half-time in the earlier game, they outscored Nottingham by 11 in the third quarter to take charge and go into the final quarter with a 56-38 advantage.
It was billed as a battle between this season’s two leading shooters, and Loughborough’s Trinidad and Tobago international Samantha Wallace-Joseph claimed 38 goals while Nottingham’s Rolene Streutker had 19.
Jo Noel, who came out of retirement for Lightning earlier this year, was named player of the match for stifling South Africa’s Streutker.
“Our defence did a great job of limiting what they could put up there,” said Lightning head coach Vic Burgess.
“We’ve said that it’s three finals to lift that trophy so we can’t take our foot off the gas. We’ll be getting straight on to it next week.”
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