Team Bath Netball co-captains Serena Guthrie and Eboni Usoro-Brown won a third successive bronze medal with England as the 2019 Netball World Cup came to an emotional conclusion in Liverpool.
England take a selfie after the game. Photo Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
After a heartbreaking 47-45 defeat to eventual champions New Zealand denied them a first-ever World Cup Final place, the Vitality Roses dug deep to finish the home tournament on a rousing note by beating South Africa 58-42 in Sunday’s bronze-medal match.
Guthrie, who was an inspirational captain for England, told the BBC: “This group will be disappointed that we didn’t reach the final but to be able to stand on a podium in front of our home fans, friends and family is a very proud moment.
“You have to understand the journey behind the medals and how tough the competition is. World netball is as tight as it has ever been and we knew we would get what we deserved at the end of the competition, which was a bronze medal.
“We went out and fought against New Zealand, gave everything we could, and it wasn’t good enough. You have to accept that as an athlete and we are extremely proud to win bronze.”
Head coach of England, Tracey Neville and Serena Guthrie of England. Photo Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
Both Guthrie and Usoro-Brown, who started every game at GD and won her 100th cap during the tournament, had won bronze with England at the 2011 and 2015 World Cups.
They then helped the Roses clinch a historic gold medal at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games and England looked to build on that in front of their home fans in Liverpool, winning all of their group games in impressive style.
However, a resurgent New Zealand side – who went on to stun Australia 52-51 in the final – had the edge in Saturday’s semi-final, overturning a 24-21 half-time deficit to record a 14th World Cup victory over England.
The Roses squad also included former Team Bath players Geva Mentor, Rachel Dunn and Layla Guscoth, whose tournament was sadly cut short by a ruptured Achilles.
The Player of the Tournament award went to another former Blue & Gold star – Karla Pretorius who was one of three ex-Team Bath players in the South Africa squad that finished fourth overall, alongside Lenize Potgieter and Zanele Vimbela.
Vangelee Williams helped Jamaica place fifth, Sports Performance graduate Shaunagh Craig was part of a Northern Ireland team that came tenth overall and Claire Maxwell captained Scotland to 11th overall.
The 2019 Netball World Cup may be over but Team Bath Netball are busy planning towards the 2020 Vitality Netball Superleague season. Stay up to date with player, fixture and ticket news by visiting netball.teambath.com.
Courtesy of the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight
