THE first season of super league netball at Bury’s Castle Leisure Centre has been a thundering success — on and off the court.

New tenants Northern Thunder finished seventh in the North-West based Co-operative Netball Superleague while the development of facilities at the Bury base helped to earn the club the Co-operative Community Award, which is given to the franchise that makes the most significant contribution to its local community.

Almost £12,000 was spent on the centre to cater to Thunder’s needs, upgrading the sports hall that now boasts an international-standard netball court, with seating for around 450 spectators. The location proved ideal — centrally positioned in a town with a thriving netball community boasting one of the best local leagues in the country – the five-division Bury Ladies League.

On the court, Thunder benefited from the addition of a number of fresh players to the squad. Most notable were the recruitment of Karen Greig, former England international, and Welsh captain Bev Lovatt. Local Bury girl Rachel Whitmore also joined the squad along with the likes of Kerry Almond, Helen Browne and Charlottle Beenham — all premier league players.

Performances and results improved considerably on previous seasons with Thunder delighting their enthusiastic fan base with six impressive victories.

The first thrilling encounter of the season saw the Bury side narrowly beaten by Team Northumbria but a first gimpse of Thunder’s new model squad was encouraging.

It was a particularly promising start for goal keeper Kerry Almond, who earned the player of the match award on her debut.

The greatly anticipated clash with close rivals Leeds Carnegie in mid December lived up to its billing, with Thunder winning a nailbiter 51-49 in front of more than 500 screaming fans at Castle.

They won an even closer contest against Celtic Dragons — edging an end-to-end duel 42-41 against Celtic Dragons in which Emma Dovey was outstanding and Greig proved the coolest customer on the court.

Thunder ended the season on a high at home to Glasgow Wildcats.

The Scots were strong contenders for the hotly contested sixth place spot but the Bury girls sailed to a comfortable 52-36 win.

In addition to bringing top flight netball to Bury and attracting large, enthusiastic crowds — many from local schools and local clubs — Thunder have raised the profile of the sport to new heights in the town.

Despite the season having ended, the work in the community is ongoing with summer coaching camps run by some of the team’s top players proving popular.

Details can be found on the Northern Thunder website, www.thundernetball.com.