Cardiff Dragons lost 55-58 to Surrey Storm in a hard-fought game at Cardiff’s House of Sport on Friday night.

Both sides came into the game on the back of wins following Cardiff’s 46-52 victory at Bath while Storm had beaten Strathclyde Sirens 62-48 at home.

With the Cardiff fifth in the table and Surrey just a place and point below them the game was set up to be close and went that way throughout in front of a sold out House of Sport.

Welsh international Georgia Rowe scored 46 goals for the home side but sadly it wasn’t enough from a Dragons perspective with Surrey Goal Shoot Proscovia Peace scoring 42 and Goal Attack Sophie Drakeford-Lewis, 16 to share their sides goals.

The game began with both teams exchanging goals without a change of possession before Cardiff began to open up a small advantage.

Initially they led by two goals before some solid defence and great play between the middle and final third gave Rowe the opportunity to extend the advantage to four with seven minutes left in the opening period.

However, some accurate shooting from Proscovia, combined with the industry of Bethany Dix brought Storm back into the period, as it closed with their deficit down to two.

Going into the second quarter Cardiff held a two-goal lead and with Storm Centre come coach Mikki Austin facing a suspension for a foul they would have hoped to press home their advantage.

However, it would be the Storm who started the second quarter the stronger, quickly eliminating the home side’s lead.

Some dead-eye shooting from Proscovia later and the visitors held a two goal lead.

Dragons began to force passes whilst the visitors called on goals from Drakeford-Lewis to supplement Peace’s threat in attack.

Rowe’s wingspan and height continued to be Dragons’ prime threat whilst, Peace’s efficiency and consistency in attack allowed them to hold on to a two-goal lead at the half.

Midway through the third quarter Dragons scored consecutive goals from Phillipa Yarranton, the first two by a player who wasn’t Rowe from a Dragons perspective, and looked to add to their momentum but the aforementioned Rowe’s shot hit the rim.

Moments later, Peace made no mistake with a shot of her own. Rowe made amends however with three goals in succession giving her side a two-goal lead with only five minutes of the quarter remaining.

However, with Leah Middleton put on report for repeated fouls, she was replaced and the visitors seemed to take advantage, Proscovia managing to score clinically to open up a four point lead with a quarter remaining.

No sooner had the final quarter begun than the visitors opened their lead to six, however, following a huge steal by Yarranton with barely 11 minutes remaining and with the home crowd’s support the Dragons were reinvigorated.

Another turnover a minute later and a goal looked inevitable only for Rowe to be called for footwork.

Proscovia’s experience was beginning to tell against Nansi Kuti but another turnover, this time an error by the Ugandan international gave Dragons a final opportunity to close up once again.

Hannah Passmore came on for Rowe late on, grabbing a goal and then a turnover. Two further goals from Yarranton and another from Passmore brought Dragons withing three inside the same number of minutes as they threatened to set up a grandstand finish.

Dragons thought they had the turnover they needed, but the referee reversed her call giving Storm back possession and the visitors were able to manage the score and clock to secure a crucial win.

Next up for the Dragons is a home tie next Friday night again at the House of Sport.