Vitality Roses fall short to New Zealand on return to competitive action
The Vitality Roses; England’s elite netball team, got their three-match Cadbury Netball Series campaign against New Zealand underway with a 58-45 loss in Hamilton on Wednesday 28 October.
The first clash of the series against the world champions represented England’s first international test since the Vitality Netball Nations Cup in January 2020.
Shannon Saunders got the game underway with the first centre pass and the hosts made the starting advantage count as Ameliaranne Akenasio scored the first goal of the game.
The visitors showed no nerves early on, however, and quickly responded with their first goal of the series courtesy of Eleanor Cardwell.
With the resumption of the ANZ Premiership and having already played a number of matches as part of their home Cadbury Netball Series, the Silver Ferns looked sharper in the opening 15 minutes.
Consequently, the Ferns opened up an eight-goal advantage in front of the home crowd after the 10 minute mark.
Undeterred, the Vitality Roses started to come into the game more and set to work on reducing the early deficit. After great pressure, a composed finish from Kadeen Corbin proved to be the last goal of the first quarter, leaving the score at 15-10.
Head Coach Jess Thirlby watched on at home due to a positive COVID-19 test, but was still able to influence the game alongside Acting Head Coach Kat Ratnapala. They brought on Imogen Allison for her senior England debut and rising star Sophie Drakeford-Lewis.
Despite Eleanor Cardwell’s best efforts with 90% shot accuracy and a promising combination with Drakeford-Lewis, the New Zealand side began to increase their advantage in the second quarter.
The Vitality Roses were showing promising signs as the first-half came to a close as they began to make more interceptions, with Fran Williams making three before the interval.
New Zealand, however, were applying defensive pressure of their own and made it difficult for their opposition to get back into the game. At the end of the first-half, the score line read 32-24.
At the break, Gabby Marshall and George Fisher were brought on to make a difference from the substitute’s bench.
Fran Williams continued to impress in the third quarter and England began to put a run together. With five minutes to go, Thirlby’s side netted three goals in a row.
The away side made a good push at their hosts in the attacking circle with all four shooters putting in performances when given the chance. At the end of the third quarter, they were shooting at 88%.
The Silver Ferns showed exactly why they are world champions, though, and still managed to pull away before the whistle signalled the end of quarter three. 46-35.
England’s attacking end continued to prove creative during the final 15 minutes of the match and gained plaudits for the way they worked an experienced New Zealand defence.
Penalties proved costly, however, as the visitors conceded 46 penalties to the hosts’ 28 as the game came to a close. Despite promising signs in their first competitive fixture since January, the Vitality Roses fell short with the final score sitting at 57-43.
The Vitality Roses will have a chance at redemption later this week as the Cadbury Netball Series continues. You can watch the remaining two fixtures live via Sky Sports on Friday 30 October and Sunday 1 November, both starting at 6am GMT.
