England got off to the perfect start under Tracey Neville as they secured a hard fought 65-42 victory over Trinidad & Tobago to take a 1-0 lead at the University of Bath in their three-match International Series.
With several England regulars still competing for their ANZ franchises down under, the starting seven allowed a chance for some others to stake their claim for a spot in the World Cup squad. Among them were debutant Natalie Haythornthwaite and a returning favourite in Sonia Mkoloma.
A strong start from the hosts saw them take the game to the Caribbean visitors with the attack leading from the front and taking early intercepts. Excellent movement of the ball pushed England into an early 10-4 advantage.
Looking solid in her first international, Haythornthwaite was combining well in the final third with her attacking partners while Mkoloma soon got back in the groove forming a solid partnership with Sam Cook. At the end of the opening quarter, England were 19-11 ahead.
The second quarter saw the home side continue their momentum as Pamela Cookey produced a breath-taking show of agility and speed to feed Helen Housby. The composed youngster duly netted the chance.
Having to battle against the usual passionate Caribbean style, the only down side to the first half was the rising penalty count for England. A late double from Housby kept the ladies in red in a dominant position, 36-24 at the interval.
The half-time break gave the chance for new faces as Sasha Corbin was introduced along with Layla Guscoth and Rachel Dunn.
Trinidad & Tobago were looking to hit back quickly and some fabulous long range shooting kept the fans entertained early in the third quarter. However, their momentum was halted when Mkoloma collided heavily with the visitors Wing Attack.
A time-out called and England re-grouped with Housby back on at Goal Shooter. This breather reinvigorated the home side and they regained control with Guscoth making a notable impact and Laura Malcolm showing fantastic hands in the defensive end.
With fifteen minutes remaining England led 47-31.
There was to be no rolling over from the Caribbean side though and they attacked fiercely in the final quarter. They slowly started to make in-roads into the England advantage but it wouldn’t last for long.
Having shown flashes of their excellent domestic partnership, Sara Bayman and Housby started to dominate proceedings. This pushed England clear and made sure that they now head into Friday’s second game at the Copper Box in the knowledge that another win will seal the Series.
England starting 7: GS – Housby, GA – Cookey, WA – Haythornthwaite, C – Bayman, WD – Malcolm, GD – Mkoloma, GK – Cook
Trinidad & Tobago starting 7: GS – Wallace, GA – Cooper, WA – Jack, C – John-Davis, WD – Guerero, GD – Duncan, GK – Swift
Umpires: Theresa Prince and Marie Louw van der Merwe with Dave Brown as reserve
