The tournament is taking place for the first time since 2019 and will see four of the five top-ranked teams in world netball battle it out at London’s Copper Box Arena from January 15-19.

The Vitality Roses will once again be captained by Guthrie, one of four Team Bath Superleague stars in the England squad along with Imogen Allison, Sophie Drakeford-Lewis and Layla Guscoth. Lining up for South Africa is defender Phumza Maweni, the Haines Watts-sponsored Blue & Gold’s newest overseas import for the 2022 season.

Guthrie led England to Test series victories over New Zealand and Jamaica in October and December respectively, and is keen to keep the momentum building through to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games which start in July.

“I’m really excited, it should be a good start to the year,” she said. “It’s been a few years since we’ve been able to take part in a Quad Series because of Covid, so it’s going to be really important for us to get some good performances in and play against all those different styles of netball that we haven’t necessarily faced in a long time.

“We are building every single time we step out as a group and I do feel we are getting stronger and stronger. Hopefully we can keep that upward trajectory going into the Quad Series and our Commonwealth Games prep.”

It will be a first experience of Quad Series netball for wing-defence Allison, who said: “It’s going to be such a good experience to play Australia, New Zealand and South Africa back to back and, looking ahead to the Commonwealth Games, a great opportunity to learn about the other teams and ourselves. I’m really excited to be selected, it’s always an honour to put on the red dress.”

Goal-attack Drakeford-Lewis – who, like Guthrie, Allison and defender Guscoth, helped England to their pre-Christmas series victories – added: “The Jamaica series was a great opportunity to go up against their style of play and we came away win a Test series win on home soil, which hasn’t been done for a while. Now we have another chance to take on the best in the world in preparation for this summer.”

England get the Quad Series under way on Saturday 15^th against South Africa (2pm), then face New Zealand on Sunday 16th (4.15pm) before completing the round-robin stage against Australia on Tuesday 18^th(7.30pm). The two other countries face each other in a second match on those days before the ranking fixtures (3^rd v 4^th, 1^st v 2^nd) bring the Series to a conclusion on Wednesday 19^th.

Team Bath’s players then return to the Rengen-backed Superleague squad to begin final preparations for the 2022 season, which gets under way with a Season Opener double-header at Resorts World Birmingham against Strathclyde Sirens on Saturday 5^th February and London Pulse on Sunday 6^th February.

The first chance to watch the Blue & Gold in action at the Team Bath Arena is on Friday 18^th February when they host Surrey Storm (7.30pm). Tickets for that game, and the seven other home Superleague matches, are on sale now – visit netball.teambath.com/tickets for further details.

Team Bath Netball is supported by its Principal and Pathway Partner, chartered accountants Haines Watts; Rengen Developments, who are an overall Team Bath Partner; Centurion Chartered Financial Planners and Ecus Ltd, our environment partner. Team Bath’s suppliers include O’Neills, 2XU, Pulseroll and HALO Hydration.

With thanks to the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight

Vitality Roses Head Coach Jess Thirlby has announced the names of the 15 players who have been selected as part of the Vitality Roses squad to compete in the Netball Quad Series, part of the Vitality Netball International Series, in January 2022.

One of the most anticipated international competitions within the global netball calendar will see the Vitality Roses play host to the Australian Diamonds, New Zealand Silver Ferns and South Africa’s SPAR Proteas at the Copper Box Arena in London.

Subject to COVID-19 travel restrictions, the four international sides will take to the court on January 15, 16, 18 and 19, playing a total of eight games across the series, competing to win the coveted Netball Quad Series trophy.

One addition to the squad that claimed the recent series win against the Jamaica Sunshine Girls is Geva Mentor, who returns having last played for the Vitality Roses in New Zealand as part of the side who claimed a historic series win against the Silver Ferns for the first time as visitors to the southern hemisphere nation.

Of those selected for the recent Roses Reunited series Fran Williams and Funmi Fadoju were not available for selection due to injury.

Jess Thirlby, Vitality Roses Head Coach, said: “It is great to be able to name such a strong squad and to be welcoming back Geva to the team. It is indicative of the talent that we have in the Roses programme and competition for places remains high which is helping to drive the high standards we know we will need to meet in order to compete with three of the best teams in the world.

“Whilst we are proud of the recent series wins in New Zealand and against Jamaica which in turn is helping to build confidence, we are restless in our pursuit for better performances and the Netball Quad Series format certainly poses a much bigger challenge with multiple games against varying styles in quick succession and concluding with finals netball for the first time. Having never won the Quad Series we are under no illusion of how tough a challenge it will be and can’t wait to get back on court and bring our fans world leading netball.”

“We showed encouraging growth both on and off the court and took away many key learnings from the recent Roses Reunited series. We remain focused on improving performances and consolidating squad connections in what is our final international competition of this international window and forms a critical part in our ongoing preparation for the Commonwealth Games.

“To host this calibre of netball nations in London is a privilege and one that can only happen as a result of the tireless work behind the scenes from England Netball and the competing international sides. On behalf of the Vitality Roses I would like to extend our gratitude to all those involved in making this level of competition possible during these times in what is a key test for us as a squad.”

David Parsons, Performance Director for England Netball, added: “Our thanks go to the three competing nations, from their players to the performance teams and everyone working behind the scenes to help navigate the evolving guidance relating to operating elite sport during the global pandemic, to ensure the safe delivery of this event.

“The Netball Quad Series will give us the opportunity to test our capabilities against three of the best teams in the world as we edge closer to the Commonwealth Games, and I’m confident that this team, with an exciting depth of experience and emerging talent, will challenge these top sides across
the series.”

England Netball has today announced the 26-strong team that has been selected for the upcoming Vitality Netball International Series, as part of the Netball Quad Series and the Roses A matches taking place throughout January.

Head Coach Tracey Neville has named 26 members of the team who could face the world’s best teams; Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, during the Series from 13 – 20 January.

All of the chosen athletes will undertake further selection on 7 January and the shorter 12-member squad will be revealed shortly after.

The Vitality Roses squad selected for the Netball Quad Series and the Roses A matches so far are as follows:

*Will be included in further selection subject to fitness

Jodie Gibson and Beth Cobden are unavailable for selection due to injury.

The Netball Quad Series will be the last time the England team compete together before the highly anticipated Vitality Netball World Cup in July 2019.

The squad recently triumphed over the Uganda She Cranes in the three-match Vitality Netball International Series that took place earlier this month and is now gearing up for the Netball Quad Series.

Tickets are still available for Series, which takes place in Liverpool and then London, via the England Netball Box Office.

The Roses will be in action on the following dates:

You will also be able to follow the Vitality Roses’ progress in the Series via the official England Netball Twitter account and watch every match live on Sky Sports.

Courtesy of England Netball 

Tracey Neville made one change from her previous starting seven with Jodie Gibson recording her first start of the series at WD.

Jo Harten was again unavailable having sustained a knock to her knee in England’s opener against New Zealand.

South Africa’s Rome Dreyer took the first centre-pass with the Proteas quickly getting the ball to Maryka Holtzhausen who opened the scoring.

The Roses were equal to it, feeding the ball through the court to Helen Housby who got England’s first goal.

With possession changing hands for a period in the first quarter some excellent work from Serena Guthrie ensured the ball was in the Roses’ hands. She fed Natalie Haythornthwaite who pushed the Roses out to a two-goal cushion halfway through the first quarter.

South Africa proved too strong in the final minute – Holtzhausen and Lenize Potgieter both scoring without reply and the Proteas went into the break leading 10-13.

Neville made a handful of changes at the first break – Clarke coming in at C with Guthrie moving to WD and Eleanor Cardwell coming in at GS and Housby moving to GA. Gibson and Haythornthwaite were the players making way.

The Roses started the second quarter brightly and brought it level through some sharp shooting from Cardwell.

But Potgieter, who shot at 90% for the game, had other intentions. She scored two goals without reply and with Holtzhausen adding another, the Proteas pushed out to a four-goal lead in the first five minutes of the second quarter (13-17).

Bongiwe Msomi, who recorded the highest number of feeds in the game (29), started to control centre court. Coupled with clinical shooting, the Proteas subsequently went into the half-time break with a seven goal lead at 20-27.

With more England changes at half-time, the momentum shifted and they started their comeback.

Ama Agbeze, who came on at GD for Layla Guscoth, managed to settle the English defence. Her and Geva Mentor both recorded a number of intercepts and rebounds throughout the quarter.

Guthrie and Haythornthwaite were equal to their defensive efforts and worked well together in attack. England were back within one as the third quarter finished 32-33.

The momentum again shifted as the teams came out for the final quarter with Ine-Mari Venter opening the scoring.

Housby, who shot at 89% for the game, unusually recorded two misses and with the Proteas capitalising on it, they pushed out to a five-goal cushion with less than eight minutes to go (36-41).

Fortunately for England there was a final change in momentum as it shifted back to the Roses for the final few minutes.

Guthrie turned over the ball twice which set Haythornthwaite and Housby on the attack, scoring a goal apiece and bringing it back within three (38-41).

Plenty of grit and character was shown from the Roses in the final stages and a total of seven goals went unanswered for England as they not only drew level but took a 44-41 lead.

After some cool shooting from Haythornthwaite and Housby, the game finished 45-42 and England recorded their second win of the Quad Series.

With Australia and New Zealand yet to play their final game, England’s finishing position in the Netball Quad Series is still unknown.

England’s starting 7 – Housby (GS), Haythornthwaite (GA), Pitman (WA), Guthrie (C), Gibson (WD), Guscoth (GD), Mentor (GK)

New Zealand’s starting 7 – GK – Maweni, GD – Pretorius, WD – van der Merwe, C – Dreyer, WA – Msomi, GA – Holtzhausen, GS – Potgieter

Courtesy of England Netball

A dominant Australian Diamonds victory over New Zealand earlier in the day guaranteed that the World Champions would be regaining the trophy.

However, the Roses still had plenty to fight for and will be proud of their battling display in Johannesburg to see out a win and keep momentum heading into the Commonwealth Games.

The visitors mixed-up their starting 7 with Natalie Haythornthwaite and Eboni Beckford-Chambers making their first start of the tournament.

There was no period of tentatively testing the waters for either side as each team went full throttle from the first whistle.

A passionate home crowd was making plenty of noise for every Proteas goal, steal and possession.

Within ten minutes the arena fell silent as England took control. Led by the imperious Geva Mentor in defence, the Roses halted the African attack and continued to score freely.

A late Lenize Potgieter goal had the home fans back on their feet as England’s lead was cut to 16-13 at the end of the opening fifteen minutes.

The visitors’ advantage was quickly reduced to one as South Africa capitalised on an attacking contact to convert turnover ball.

It was becoming an increasingly fractious game on court as every rebound was fiercely contested. A fired up Serena Guthrie and Beckford-Chambers earning a word or two from the umpires.

England remained the more composed and Helen Housby was on hand to increase the lead as the away defence secured plenty of possession. At half-time the Roses were 30-22 ahead.

The tempo remained high in the third quarter as pressure from the defensive unit forced an offside from the hosts and Housby converted.

With the lead now in double figures, South Africa needed to respond. They did just that Phumza Maweni won rebound ball to push her side forward.

A switch was made for the Roses with captain Ama Agbeze introduced at GD to halt the opponents charge. A number of turnovers from each side went unpunished as the quarter was shared and England remained eight clear, 43-35 heading into Q4.

Backed by a buoyant home support, the Proteas sniffed a comeback win early in the final quarter with five unanswered goals drawing them to within three.

Kadeen Corbin replaced at Haythornthwaite in the shooting end but took the GS bib as Housby shuffled into GA.

The brief delay and change to the attacking unit worked as the Roses started to look more assured from centre-pass.

The re-introduction of Beckford-Chambers at GD also worked in disrupting a free flowing Proteas attack.

South Africa continued to press and with the gap at four with four minutes on the clock, it took a crucial steal from Mentor in the circle to finally give England some much needed breathing space.

Clever use of the ball and a slowing of the tempo as the away side transitioned though court allowed England to see out a nerve-jangling victory and with it a highest ever finish in the tournament.

With the Commonwealth Games on the horizon, the Netball Quad Series has shown that the Roses will be serious contenders and that the gap at the top of the world rankings is narrowing between all of the top nations.

South Africa Starting 7: GS – Potgieter, GA – Holtzhausen, WA – Msomi, C -Burger, WD – Mthembu, GD – Pretorius, GK – Maweni

Roses Starting 7: GS – Housby, GA – Haythornthwaite, WA – Pitman, C – Clarke, WD – Guthrie, GD – Beckford-Chambers, GK – Mentor

Umpires:  Michelle Phippard and Jono Bredin with Terrence Peart as reserve

Report courtesy of England Netball

England’s Helen Housby (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)

It was a game high on energy, passion and tenacity from the first whistle and the two undefeated sides in the Vitality Netball International Series, as part of the Netball Quad Series, went head to head.

A number of unconverted turnover opportunities in the first half threatened to see Australia race to a clear victory, but a stirring post half-time response had England, and an extremely vociferous crowd, sensing another Quad Series success.

The two sides went goal-for-goal early in the final fifteen minutes and with the clock ticking down it was the Diamonds who managed to control the tempo and stifle the home side to see out the win.

England opted to name the same starting seven which took to the court against New Zealand while the visitors made changes, Caitlin Bassett a notable starter following their Saturday victory over South Africa.

The Roses created several chances to take charge in the opening quarter with the defensive unit forcing several steals and tips.

However, each time possession was won, it was frustratingly lost almost as quickly. In contrast, the team in green and gold were ruthless with their chances and took a 16-11 lead.

An early change saw Beth Cobden take the WD bib and there was an immediate impact and England won back possession from an Australia centre-pass.

It failed to result in a goal, but the next time England won turnover ball, it finally proved fruitful. A roar from Serena Guthrie signalled the hosts’ delight and taking advantage.

With momentum still evading the home side, Eboni Beckford-Chambers and Natalie Haythornthwaite were introduced to the fray.

A nine goal deficit was reduced to seven before the half-time whistle with England keeping themselves in the game.

Mentor and Beckford-Chambers were fired up after the interval which quickly had the crowd notching up the noise levels even further.

A show of ill-discipline from the World Champions afforded the Roses the chance to close this gap, and this time they delivered.

A run of five straight goals had the fans daring to believe. Slick work around the circle was rewarded as the shooting accuracy started to increase.

England were down 37-34 at the end of the third quarter, but definitely not out.

The atmosphere was electric as the teams entered the court for the final fifteen minutes and it wasn’t long before the partisan nature of the crowd saw them playfully booing any umpiring decision against the hosts.

With the match remaining on centre-pass with under ten minutes on the clock, England needed to find a spark.

It was provided with an exceptional retrieval from behind the back line from the newly introduced Eleanor Cardwell. Waiting for the pass was Helen Housby and she netted to keep the game in the balance.

Each pass, leap and shot now had immense pressure attached to it as any error would prove costly to either side.

The tension finally told as a pass in the mid-court was fired wide by the Roses and the Diamonds finished the turnover in a move which oozed composure.

Despite a late converted turnover of their own, England were unable to force additional time as Australia ran down the clock.

The teams now head over to South Africa to complete this edition of the Netball Quad Series with the Roses’ last fixture coming up on Sunday afternoon against the host nation.

Roses starting 7: GS – Corbin, GA – Housby, WA – Pitman, C – Guthrie, WD – Clarke, GD – Agbeze, GK – Mentor

Diamonds starting 7: GS – Bassett, GA – Wood, WA – Watson, C – Ravaillion, WD – Simpson, GD – Weston, GK – Bruce

Umpires: Jono Bredin and Theresa Prince with Terrence Peart as reserve

Report courtesy of England Netball

With nearly 6,000 fans crammed into the arena for the Vitality Netball International Series, as part of the Netball Quad Series clash, there was barely a spare seat to be had as the Roses edged a classic match which will go down as one of the finest in the year, and perhaps the decade.

England’s Helen Housby celebrates with team mate Kaden Corbin (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)

Each team dominated different periods of play and it could be argued that neither side deserved to leave the court without the win.

England had a chance to seal the tie in normal time but a Kadeen Corbin effort agonisingly bounced out, although the clock ran down as the Silver Ferns attempted to steal the win for themselves in the dying seconds.

Rather than ruing a missed opportunity, the Roses hit back fiercely in two extra halves of seven minutes, with Corbin showing her mental strength by leading from the front.

A trio of turnovers, including one phenomenal leap from Player of the Match Serena Guthrie, allowed the hosts to pull clear and finally emerge victorious.

The match started at a ferocious pace with a number of turnover chances missed as the England defence forced mistakes from the visitors in the final third but the Roses attack were unable to capitalise.

With the sides locked at 4-4 early on, a pair of tips from Geva Mentor had the crowd roaring in support but again a mixture of poor passing and good New Zealand defence refused to let the hosts pull into a lead.

With England struggling in the shooting circle, Maria Folau took the opportunity to display her ruthless streak. Goals flew in from every angle as Folau and Bailey Mes produced a perfect shooting quarter to have the Ferns ahead 16-12.

The Roses were looking for a chink in the New Zealand armour and after a Sam Sinclair feed was fired in with too much pace, the team in red took their chance.

A wonderful drive from Helen Housby saw a move capped off by an equalling fine finish. In a flash, the scores were level at 22-22.

It was a complete reverse from the opening quarter as England went on the charge. Corbin was finding her range and proving to be an equal for Folau at the opposite end. At half-time the Roses lead by one, 29-28.

The ebb and flow of the match continued into Q3 with the visitors taking command. Errors from England were being routinely punished with Temalisi Fakahokotau in inspired form at the defensive end.

With the ball breaking down in the mid-court, the reigning Quad Series champions showed their class to move 43-37 ahead moving into the final fifteen minutes.

Changes were made for the final quarter with Beth Cobden coming into WD and Eboni Beckford-Chambers taking over at GD.

A renewed fight and vigour, inspired by an increasingly passionate home crowd, saw England close the gap.

With every goal for those in red, the Silver Ferns started to look more fragile. Guthrie and Chelsea Pitman were pulling the strings in the final third as Corbin and Housby pulled the Roses closer.

As the clock moved into the final three minutes, Housby demonstrated her defensive class with an athletic tip into the grateful hands of Beckford-Chambers. This allowed England to level and the crowd to burst into rapturous applause.

Another turnover created by Beckford-Chambers gave the Roses one last chance to win the game in normal time but it was not to be and instead a sensational extra-time performance was enough to seal a hard-fought success.

The Roses are next in action on Monday evening when they take on World Champions, the Australian Diamonds at the Copper Box. Centre-pass will be taken at 7:45pm.

Roses starting 7: GS – Corbin, GA – Housby, WA – Pitman, C – Guthrie, WD – Clarke, GD – Agbeze, GK – Mentor

Silver Ferns starting 7: GS – Mes, GA – Folau, WA – Kara, C – Sinclair, WD – Cullen, GD – Grant, GK – Fakahokotau

Umpires: Michelle Phippard and Terence Peart with Theresa Prince as reserve

In the first game of the Quad Series today Australia Diamonds beat South Africa 54-50

Report courtesy of England Netball 

England will once again face Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in a series of games.

The first half of the Series will take place at the Copper Box Arena, London before all four teams head out to Johannesburg, South Africa to complete the competition.

Ama Agbeze has been named as captain with Jade Clarke taking on the role of vice-captain.

With the Commonwealth Games fast approaching in 2018, this is a final chance for the Roses to stake a claim for a place on the plane to Australia.

The Roses squad selected for the Netball Quad Series is as follows;

Ama Agbeze (Captain), Jade Clarke (Vice Captain), Eboni Beckford-Chambers, Eleanor Cardwell, Beth Cobden, Kadeen Corbin, Sasha Corbin, Stacey Francis, Jodie Gibson, Serena Guthrie, Natalie Haythornthwaite, Helen Housby, Geva Mentor, Chelsea Pitman

The schedule for the Roses’ Netball Quad Series games are as follows;

Copper Box Arena, London

Saturday 20^th January

3:30pm – Samsung Diamonds v South Africa SPAR Proteas

6pm – England Roses v New Zealand Silver Ferns

Monday 22^nd January

7.45pm – England Roses v Samsung Diamonds

Johannesburg, South Africa

Thursday 25^th January

5pm – South Africa SPAR Proteas v New Zealand Silver Ferns

Sunday 28^th January

10am – New Zealand Silver Ferns v Samsung Diamonds

12:30pm – South Africa Proteas v England Roses

Lead photo shows Ama Agbeze of England Roses defending against Jane Chimaliro

Report courtesy of England Netball

An impressive third quarter from the Proteas proved decisive in a hotly contested and high quality game.

England’s Geva Mentor (Photo: Press Association)

Tracey Neville went with the same seven players who started Wednesday’s stunning 49-45 victory over world no.2s New Zealand Silver Ferns.

The experienced defensive duo of Geva Mentor and Ama Agbeze were hoping to blunt the South African attack.

The Proteas got within six goals of the Australian Diamonds in their last Quad Series outing – the closest the two nations have been in an international match for 50 years – and they once again displayed how far they’ve come over the past few years.

An early Helen Housby deflection disrupted the Proteas’ rhythm but they still managed to work the ball through court to Lenize Potgieter to open the scoring.

It was goal for goal in the opening few minutes between two determined and committed sides with nobody giving an inch at all.

The South African defence remained resolute but the Roses were patient in their build-up and two quick-fire goals – one from Kadeen Corbin and one from Housby – saw them take a 6-4 lead.

The Roses got into their stride midway through the first quarter and started to pull away.

England’s Jade Clarke in action (Photo: Press Association)

But the Proteas’ heads didn’t drop and they clawed their way back into the game with three unanswered goals from Potgieter cutting the Roses’ lead to just one goal.

Housby scored to end the Proteas’ goal-scoring run but Potgieter replied with four unanswered goals at the end of the first half to give her side a narrow 13-11 lead.

Potgieter continued where she left off in Q2, getting fingertips to a Mentor pass and coolly netting from under the post.

The Roses turned things around in the opening few minutes of Q2, helped by explosive movement in the circle and sharp shooting from Housby.

But they were unable to extend their 16-15 lead and the Proteas rallied and took advantage.

Maryka Holtzhausen was handed a second bite of the cherry after Potgieter successfully tipped the rebound to her attacking partner and she made no mistake second time around to make it 19-17 to the Proteas.

Bongiwe Msomi was a thorn in the Roses’ side, demonstrating impressive acceleration and movement on the outside of the circle.

Both sides displayed lovely vision and attacking play before the break and the evenly-matched teams went into half-time all square at 26-26.

Jo Harten returned to court at GS at the start of Q3 much to the delight of the Roses’ fans, but it was the Proteas who started better.

They flew out the traps with Potgieter scoring three times without response to help her side establish a three-goal lead.

The Proteas were one step quicker, one second smarter and one move ahead.

With the Roses on the back foot, Neville made a double defensive change – the experienced Jade Clarke came on at WD and Stacey Francis took the GD bib.

The Roses fought back from a five-goal deficit with Harten capitalising on a couple of lucky breaks to narrow the gap to just two goals.

But the Proteas restored their five-goal margin with three minutes left on the clock in Q3 and didn’t look back.

They transitioned the ball quickly through court in Q4 and there was a great take from Holtzhausen before she held her nerve to score from under the post.

The Roses were thwarted by an excellent defensive effort with Karla Mostert flying in to intercept Chelsea Pitman’s looped pass to Harten as Neville’s side looked to cut the Proteas’ lead.

With two minutes left and two goals the difference, Housby was unlucky to not see her effort drop in.

The Proteas kept their composure and the impressive Potgieter scored with seconds remaining to seal the win.

Erin Burger was named Player of the Match for the Proteas after a strong performance at C.

Neville’s side will now stay on in New Zealand to continue their tour and face the Silver Ferns in a three-match International Series for the Taini Jamison Trophy.

They have a couple of days to dust themselves down and regroup ahead of the Series getting underway on Thursday 7th September.

Roses starting 7: GS – Corbin, GA – Housby, WA – Pitman, C – Guthrie, WD – Cobden, GD – Agbeze, GK – Mentor

Roses bench: Beckford-Chambers, Cardwell, Clarke, Francis, Harten

Proteas starting 7: GS – Potgieter, GA – Holtzhausen, WA – Msomi, C – Burger, WD – Mthembu, GD – Mostert, GK – Maweni

Proteas bench: Lochner, Loubser, Pienaar, Venter, Vimbela

Shooting statistics

Roses: Corbin 10/13 (77%), Harten 15/18 (83%), Housby 26/29 (90%)

Proteas: Potgieter 43/45 (96%), Holtzhausen 11/15 (73%)

Umpires: Kristie Simpson and Clare McCabe with Joshua Bowring as reserve

For more stats see: http://mc.championdata.com/england_netball/index.html?competitionid=10293&matchid=102930104

England Head Coach Tracey Neville (Photo: Press Association)

A stellar final 15 minutes from the Roses secured only their fifth ever win over the Silver Ferns in 88 matches.

Tracey Neville opted to start with the seven players who were on court in the England Roses’ spirited second-half fightback against the Australian Diamonds.

The Roses got off to a strong start and showed good movement on court. Serena Guthrie picked out Kadeen Corbin who reached Helen Housby with a looped pass and she opened the scoring.

Corbin and Housby continued to combine well in the circle but were unlucky to see several efforts fail to drop in and didn’t often get a second bite of the cherry with Katrina Grant strong on the rebound.

The Silver Ferns were criticised for not getting enough ball in their Quad Series opener on Saturday but were certainly much improved in this area against the Roses.

Grant, who made three intercepts throughout the game, plucked the ball effortlessly out of the air to set the Silver Ferns on their way as their defensive pressure was rewarded.

The hosts had established a four-goal lead by the end of the first quarter but heads didn’t drop in the Roses team and they clawed their way back.

Housby found her rhythm and hit her stride in quarter two and three unanswered goals from her brought the Roses back to within one.

All seven players on court exuded intensity, commitment, determination, drive and passion.

They worked as a unit and when the ball was fed through to Corbin, she held her nerve to fire the Roses in front at 19-18.

There was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing between the two sides and the volume inside The Trusts Arena went up a notch as the Silver Ferns pulled away to lead 26-23 at half-time.

The hosts picked up where they left off at the end of quarter two and led by five until Corbin found her range to end the Silver Ferns’ goal-scoring run.

Midway through the quarter, Ama Agbeze was replaced by Eboni Beckford-Chambers at GD as the Roses trailed 32-30.

Guthrie was in the thick of the action, either picking up every second pass or driving through court to draw out a defender and open up room for Chelsea Pitman.

The C displayed great vision and delivery with an inch-perfect pass to Corbin to score from mid-range and level the match at 34-34.

With seconds left on the clock in quarter three and things all square at 36-36, Bailey Mes scored from under the post to hand the Silver Ferns a slender one-goal lead going into the final 15.

The Silver Ferns flew out the traps and built up a three-goal gap at 40-37 but the resilient Roses didn’t falter and kept plugging away to bring it back to 42-42 midway through the quarter.

As the clock ticked down and the tension mounted in Auckland, the nerves were starting to show with unforced errors from both sides.

But the Roses kept their cool and there was no looking back when a Geva Mentor tip disrupted the Silver Ferns’ attack and the ball was transitioned through court to Housby, who scored with aplomb.

Momentum was well and truly with Neville’s side in the final few minutes as Corbin capped a fantastic team effort with three unanswered goals.

Chelsea Pitman was named Player of the Match for the Roses after a hugely impressive performance at WA.

The Roses will now travel to Invercargill, where they’ll face the rapidly-improving South Africa Spar Proteas on Sunday in their final match of the Netball Quad Series.

Neville’s side will be determined to build on their impressive performance and end their competition on a high against the current world no.5s.

But they’ll certainly hope to avoid a repeat of the drama from the last time the two sides met – it took a first-ever extra-time in the Quad Series to separate the sides as the England Roses sealed a 60-55 victory.

Meanwhile, New Zealand will go head-to-head with Australia as the competition draws to a close.

Roses starting 7: GS – Corbin, GA – Housby, WA – Pitman, C – Guthrie, WD – Cobden, GD – Agbeze, GK – Mentor

Roses bench: Bayman, Beckford-Chambers, Cardwell, Clarke, Gibson

Silver Ferns starting 7: GS – Mes, GA – Selby-Rickit, WA – Souness, C – Francois, WD – Sinclair, GD – Grant, GK – Watson

Silver Ferns bench: Crampton, Cullen, Falkner, Karaka, Wilson

Shooting statistics

Roses: Corbin 23/30 (77%), Housby 26/32 (81%)

Silver Ferns: Mes 28/33 (85%), Selby-Rickit 17/21 (81%)

Umpires: Clare McCabe and Theresa Prince

You can find more stats here.

Report courtesy of England Netball