England team huddle (Photo: Press Association)

It was a classic encounter with both sides locked together until the final 10 minutes, when a late New Zealand surge saw them take out a 62-55 victory and, with it, the Series.

Tracey Neville stuck with the same starting seven from Sunday’s stunning win.

The Roses got the decider underway with the first centre pass and moved the ball quickly through court but Jo Harten saw her effort bounce out.

The Silver Ferns capitalised with Maria Tutaia converting the turnover and then adding a second before Helen Housby got the Roses up and running.

Chelsea Pitman continued her fine form from the previous matches and linked up well with Harten. The mid-courter delivered a lovely disguised feed into Harten, who netted to bring the Roses back on level terms at 6-6, before the GS scored England’s third unanswered goal to put them ahead for the first time in the match.

The attacks were on top in the game and the Pitman-Harten combination was firing on all cylinders with some wonderful movement and passing.

Harten continued to impress with a beautiful long range effort before Stacey Francis flew in with a fine steal and England converted to add to their tally.

With five minutes of Q1 remaining, there was nothing to separate the two sides with the score at 11-all.

A couple of errors started to creep into play. Bailey Mes converted a New Zealand turnover before the Roses were loose in the final third, conceded possession and a Tutaia double put the hosts 16-13 up.

The Silver Ferns continued to punish some scrappy play from the Roses and took a four-goal lead at the end of the first 15.

Neville’s side came out fighting at the start of Q2 and made a strong start with Ama Agbeze pressuring the feed to force New Zealand long and Harten converting.

Bailey Mes displayed her athleticism with an almighty save to collect a rebound and fire the ball back into Tutaia while falling off court. The GS made no mistakes as the hosts pulled clear by five.

The Roses responded though with three unanswered goals from the imperious Harten and the experienced defensive unit of Francis, Ama Agbeze and Geva Mentor clicked into gear, creating turnover after turnover.

England were pumped up and enjoyed a run of five straight goals before the Silver Ferns replied with three of their own to retake the lead at 25-24.

Mentor was everywhere towards the end of the first half – another trademark tip to Pitman set the Roses transitioning through court and Housby applied the finish to hand England a slender 27-25 lead.

More defensive prowess, a quick-fire double from Harten and a goal from Housby capped off a sensational turnaround as the Roses moved ahead by four at the end of the first half.

The Silver Ferns flew out the traps at the start of the second half with three unanswered goals to cut the Roses’ lead to just one.

But Agbeze pounced on a loose ball in the New Zealand shooting circle with Harten completing the move after some fancy footwork.

The Roses continued to make their presence felt with excellent pressure but the Silver Ferns kept their composure to recycle the ball around the circle before Mes netted.

England led 37-35 midway through Q3 but New Zealand continued to peg the visitors back.

After a Housby effort bounced out and Harten was penalised for being out of court, the Silver Ferns went level from an incredible Mes take before going 40-39 up thanks to a cool finish from Tutaia.

There was free-flowing scoring with the match staying on centre pass as the quarter drew to a close but the hosts took advantage of an overcooked pass from Francis and went into Q4 with a 44-43 lead.

Neville opted for a couple of defensive changes at the start of the final 15 with Beth Cobden coming on at WD and Francis dropping back into GD.

It was goal-for-goal at the start of Q4 with Harten holding her nerve with a huge goal from distance before Tutaia kept the hosts on centre-pass.

A clever drive from Housby opened up space for Harten in the circle and she finished with aplomb to make it all square at 47-47.

The hosts moved ahead again though thanks to the classy Tutaia and Agbeze was reintroduced to thwart the threat posed by the GA.

Strong pressure from the Silver Ferns around the circle forced England to wait for the right opening but Harten pulled the deficit back to four at 56-52.

With five minutes left to play, the Roses kept battling to silence the home crowd.

As the tension mounted in Hamilton, the gap was down to just two when Housby held her nerve to net.

But the Silver Ferns accelerated away in the closing stages, sealing the Taini Jamison Trophy with a 62-55 win.

Although there was disappointment at the final whistle, there are undoubtedly plenty of positives for Neville’s side to take from the Series as their preparations for the 2018 Commonwealth Games intensify.

The England Roses are next in action on home soil against the Malawi Queens this November. Grab your tickets to the three-match Vitality Netball International Series here.

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

Silver Ferns starting 7: GS – Tutaia, GA – Mes, WA – Crampton, C – Francois, WD – Cullen, GD – Grant, GK – Jury

Shooting statistics

Roses: Harten 36/40 (90%), Housby 19/25 (76%)

Silver Ferns: Tutaia 41/52 (79%), Mes 21/21 (100%)

For more stats see: http://mc.championdata.com/england_netball/index.html?competitionid=10297&matchid=102970103

#WeAreRoses

Report courtesy of England Netball

A six goal lead for England midway through the third quarter was overturned by the Silver Ferns but the Roses hit back in the final two minutes to grab an astonishing win.

A late pick-up from Geva Mentor was the catalyst for an England rally as the shooters held their nerve to finally end the resistance from a dogged New Zealand display.

Tracey Neville named the same starting seven that took to the court in the opening match of the Series and they immediately repaid the faith shown in them.

A miss from Maria Tutaia was pressured by the defensive combination of Mentor and England captain Ama Agbeze to give England side line ball.

It was converted at the other end by Jo Harten and the Roses gained the early momentum. As the hosts continued to struggle in attack, England held their nerve to move 6-2 ahead.

The cross court pressure was telling as both Serena Guthrie and Sara Bayman disrupted New Zealand passing to steal possession back.

Heading into the final five minutes of the quarter, the gap remained at four with the Roses moving 10-6 clear.

The home side responded in the mid-court and England were forced into a couple of passing errors as the Ferns hit back to reduce the gap to 13-12 at the end of the opening quarter.

A change was made for the visitors for the second set of fifteen as Stacey Francis was introduced at WD with Guthrie switching to C.

It paid instant dividends as Agbeze ghosted in for a tip and Francis collected. A Harten double and a fine finish from Helen Housby had England five goals clear.

In a game where defences were on top, the Ferns pressure created turnover ball and the gap was reduced to two as the interval loomed.

With seconds left on the clock, Harten received a feed and took a quick glance to make sure both feet were in the circle. Once this was confirmed she sent home a sumptuous shot as England took a 27-24 lead into half-time.

The third quarter saw England explode from the blocks with Francis showing relentless energy to force possession into the visitors’ hands.

A clever bounce feed into Housby from Harten saw the Roses go six goals clear.

Changes were made for the hosts with Te Paea Selby-Rickit replacing Tutaia and back came the Silver Ferns.

Kelly Jury was in fine form after taking the GK bib and her excellent work inspired the home side to wipe out the advantage and draw us level at 36-36 late in Q3.

A late Housby finish gave England the most narrow of advantages going into the final fifteen minutes, 38-37.

Beth Cobden entered the action in the final quarter as she moved into WD with Francis replacing Agbeze at GD.

However, New Zealand continued with the momentum from the previous quarter as they moved into the lead for the first time in the match following a tip from Ferns debutant Claire Kersten.

The Roses could have let their heads drop but instead responded superbly as the game started to hang in the balance with both sides taking turns in front.

All across the mid-court Guthrie was picking up loose passes and pushing England forward. With three minutes to go the sides were locked together at 45-45 but New Zealand crucially had the centre-pass advantage.

The defensive unit of the Roses again put the Ferns attack under incredible pressure and with two mins to go, Mentor emerged with the ball.

A lightning attack ensued with Chelsea Pitman finding Harten to net. A converted centre-pass added some breathing space.

Excellent time management when in possession saw England recycle the ball and see out the game.

A late desperate attempt from New Zealand to reduce the gap allowed the Roses defence to create one more turnover and for Harten to score one final long range effort and put the gloss on a battling, determined performance from England.

Player of the Match following a fantastic mid-court display was Serena Guthrie.

The final match of the Taini Jamison Trophy takes place on Wednesday morning from 8:30am (BST) and will be LIVE on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Mix.

Silver Ferns starting 7: GS – Mes, GA – Tutaia, WA – Rasmussen, C – Francois, WD – Cullen, GD – Grant, GK – Fakahohotau

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

Shooting stats:

New Zealand: Mes – 26/30: 87%; Tutaia – 8/16: 50%; Selby-Rickit – 12/15: 80%; Team: 46/61: 75%

England: Harten – 25/32: 78%; Housby – 24/32: 75%; Team – 49/64: 77%

For further stats please visit – http://www.mynetball.co.nz/silver-ferns/match-day/new-world-netball-series-taini-jamison-trophy/game-2.html

Report courtesy of England Netball

The Silver Ferns got the match underway with first centre pass in front of a packed house in Porirua.

England’s Helen Housby (Photo: Press Association)

Geva Mentor was straight into the heart of the action with a tip behind but the Silver Ferns worked the back line ball for the returning Maria Tutaia to open the scoring.

There were a couple of early turnovers and Mentor continued to impress as the Roses established an early 4-2 lead.

Bailey Mes displayed her athleticism with a fantastic save as the ball threatened to go long and fed Tutaia to close the gap.

The Roses were unlucky to see a few shots fall short and the Silver Ferns took advantage and a 12-10 lead with Tutaia finding the net from all over the circle.

But Tracey Neville’s side fought back with Harten converting a turnover after a fantastic Mentor steal and it was all square at 15-15 after an intense opening quarter.

Momentum was with the Roses at the start of the second 15 with Sara Bayman and Helen Housby combining well to help England to a 19-18 lead.

With both sides trying to assert their dominance, it became a physical affair out on court and a passage of scrappy play followed with the ball turned over in quick succession before Tutaia finally scored from range.

Spurred on by the home crowd, the Silver Ferns enjoyed a run of unanswered goals to put them 27-24 up.

The experienced Mentor sparked the Roses back into action with another rebound and Harten netted a fabulous effort from range.

England were back within one when Housby scored and were unlucky to not be on level terms at half-time after a Mentor steal in the final seconds was launched forward but the Roses failed to take it to goal.

Shannon Francois got the third quarter off to a flyer with a classy steal, which Tutaia duly converted, but Serena Guthrie replied with one of her own and Housby did the honours in the circle.

Tutaia was leading from the front and the rub of the green was certainly with New Zealand as they scored at the third time of asking.

The Roses continued to persevere and were rewarded with sharp shooting from Harten reducing the lead to just two.

With seven minutes remaining in Q3, the GS held her nerve to bring it back to 36-36.

The pressure on court continued to build but the Roses battled superbly to keep it on centre-pass.

Top work from Housby created space for Harten before she picked up the return to finish the turnover and fire the Roses to a 39-38 lead.

A last-minute turnover converted by Te Paea Selby-Rickit though handed the Silver Ferns a slender 42-40 lead going into the final quarter.

Ama Agbeze was leading by example and her incredible retrieval kept the turnover ball moving with Harten on hand to apply the finish.

Harten and Tutaia continued to trade blows as the game went back and forth.

Mentor was positioned superbly to gather a loose feed from the Silver Ferns, Harten and Pitman displayed slick build-up play and the GS scored to hand the Roses a 47-46 lead.

Hesitation in the England circle was punished though with New Zealand capitalising to make things all square at 49-49 halfway through the final quarter.

Backed by the vocal home crowd, the Silver Ferns came on strong and started to dictate the play to pull clear at 53-50 with six minutes to go.

The Roses were in need of turnovers in the closing stages but Janine Southby’s side saw the game out well.

Neville’s squad now have a few days to regroup and prepare for the second match in the Series, which takes place at 3am on Sunday 10th September in Napier.

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

Silver Ferns starting 7: GS – Mes, GA – Tutaia, WA – Crampton, C – Francois, WD – Cullen, GD – Grant, GK – Watson

Shooting statistics

Roses: Harten 31/37 (84%), Housby 24/33 (73%)

Silver Ferns: Mes 11/14 (79%), Selby-Rickit 20/24 (83%), Tutaia 31/37 (84%)

Report courtesy of England Netball