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10 hours ago
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England’s hopes of regaining their Commonwealth Games’ netball title are over after a 61-54 defeat to New Zealand that was far more comprehensive than the scoreline suggests.
The Roses, who famously won gold in the Gold Coast in 2018, at least have the consolation of the bronze medal match on Sunday morning, but they were second best throughout.
Anna Stembridge, England’s coach, said: “First of all, credit to the Silver Ferns in terms of the way they came out. They really stifled our service into the shooters. We were a little bit loose with some of our placement and, again, they showed the type of range they have and how clinical they are when they gain possession.
“They’re ranked number two in the world for a reason. We’ll make sure we take what we need to from that game and prepare accordingly for whoever we face tomorrow.”
Stembridge added: “We fell short a little bit there. Ultimately, we’ve got 10 players who have never played in a Commonwealth Games semi-final before. The experience they’ll have gained from that is going to be instrumental, both for tomorrow and obviously building towards the World Cup.”
New Zealand, meanwhile, will face the winners of Saturday’s other semi-final between Australia or Jamaica as they attempt to win gold for the first time since 2010.
The Silver Ferns went into the semi-final without defender Catherine Hall, who ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament in her knee against Wales. However, their influential goal attack Georgia Heffernan, who suffered an ankle injury against Wales, was able to play through the pain.
While she scored nine goals from 10 attempts and provided 15 goal assists, it was the Silver Ferns’ Grace Nweke who dominated the match. England simply had no answer to the 64t 4in goal shooter, who finished with 52 goals from 57 attempts.
After a nervy start, New Zealand began to establish control as they went 16-11 up by the end of the first quarter. That lead was quickly up to nine, with Nweke scoring 23 goals from 23 shots. But when Nweke missed for the first time just before the break, England had reduced the gap to 29-24 and could at least dream of emulating their comeback against South Africa in the pool stages.
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The introduction of Eleanor Cardwell provided more muscle up front, but otherwise the changes rung by Stembridge in the third quarter failed to pay off. New Zealand’s lead was nine at the end of the third quarter and was soon up to 12 early in the fourth quarter. A few late points reduced the deficit, but by then the result was no longer in doubt.
England’s captain, Fran Williams, said: “A bit gutted, to be honest. I don’t feel like we were anywhere near our best today, so it’s a real shame not to be able to put in that performance in a semi-final when it matters most. We’re devastated as a team, but we’re also really aware that we’re still competing for a medal.
“We’ll be ready to fight for one tomorrow and make sure we come away with that reward. It’s important that we don’t get too down about this game or get stuck in our own heads. We need to stay connected as a group and be ready for the battle tomorrow.”
