Reports & Results

Match Reports written by Alex Sexton, England Netball

Day 1 - Monday October 3rd

England 81 Barbados 20

England Starting line-up;
GK Geva Mentor
GD Sonia Mkoloma
WD Jade Clarke
C Sara Bayman
WA Tamsin Greenway
GA Pamela Cookey
GS Jo Harten

Sub Karen Atkinson    
Sub Rachel Dunn
Sub Stacey Francis
Sub Eboni Beckford-Chambers
Sub Louisa Brownfield

A new look England started strongly and a steady attack enabled GS Harten to easily sink the first shots of the game.  Mentor and Mkoloma began confidently in defence, forcing errors in the Barbados attacking circle leading to a number of successful turnovers.  Centre, Sara Bayman dominated the mid-court and maintained a fast pace through the middle with support from both Clarke and Greenway on the wings.

An 88% shooting average in the first 10 minutes of the quarter from Cookey and Harten enabled England to pull ahead while Barbados were struggling to get their shots in.  A dominant and creative start to the game saw England leading     24 -5 at the end of the first quarter.  An unchanged England picked up where they left off with a strong start to the second quarter. Good communication in the England defence forced more errors from Barbados.

Slick feeding from Bayman into the shooters circle was proving impossible for the Bajans to defend and England quickly increased their lead.  Barbados were a little more patient in there approach but pressure from the England Defence meant they were unable to execute the final pass and convert.  England continued with the fast tempo throughout the second quarter with Cookey and Harten linking up superbly in the circle to pull ahead to an encouraging 42-12 lead at half time.

Half-time score: England 42 - 12 Barbados

A much changed England side emerged at half time, coach Maggie Jackson was keen to look at different combinations and introduced as many athletes as possible to the competition.  An unsettled start to the quarter saw the first errors from England in the attacking third but continued pressure from Greenway and Brownfield ensured the ball was overturned with increasing regularity.  Despite these errors Barbados were unable to build any momentum as Beckford-Chambers and Francis settled in well in the defensive third.  Brownfield and Cookey soon found their rhythm sinking shots from all areas of the circle.

Atkinson, who has recently recovered from injury, soon made her presence felt through the court working hard to bring the ball down into the attacking third.  The changes made by England at half time proved successful as Barbados managed to score only 2 goals in the quarter compared to Englands 23, heading into the final quarter at 65-14 in Englands favour.  Jackson introduced the remaining athletes to the game as England proved they have great flexibility in the squad with yet more combinations in attack.

Barbados started strong with a turnover following a missed shot from Dunn but England were able to take the next two centre passes from Barbados and recapture their rhythm.  England continued to work hard throughout the court and again adapted well to the changes on court, although unforced errors began to creep in allowing Barbados to build momentum from mid-court.  Strong and consistent play from Bayman ensured a number of important interceptions were picked up and England made the most of mistakes from a tiring Barbados side.

At the final whistle, it finished 81-20 and a strong start to the competition from England who are clearly well prepared and looking forward to perhaps stronger opposition from South Africa tomorrow.

Full Time - England 81 - 20 Barbados

Day 2 - Tuesday October 5th

England 54 South Africa 36

England made an encouraging start to their match against South Africa as they once more controlled possession in mid-court and forced the Africans into mistakes. The consistent efforts in defence allowed Pamela Cookey and Louisa Brownfield to stretch England into a 6-0 lead after the first five minutes. This high energy start was stifling South Africa of possession and ensured that any pre-match nerves were quickly forgotten.

The pressure of the England mid-court and defence was exhilarating and the Brownfield/Cookey combination was finding the net with increasing regularity. It took seven and a half minutes for the South Africans to register their first score, to the enjoyment of a lone vuvuzela in a sparse crowd.

The final few minutes of the quarter were a much more even affair as the high-octane tempo that England had set, began to slow. Unforced errors began to creep in from the early pace setters as South Africa managed to pull back to 11 - 8 as the first quarter drew to a close.

Coach, Maggie Jackson rang the changes at the start of the second quarter as she looked to halt the South African fight back. On came Rachel Dunn, Tamsin Greenway, Stacey Francis and Eboni Beckford-Chambers.  Dunn replaced Cookey and instantly displayed superb strength and agility to net the first point of the quarter. However, the South Africans were quick to respond and were gaining momentum throughout the mid-court.

The steady rhythm of the game was disrupted as errors from both teams were proving costly. This in turn caused the flow of the game to stutter and converting chances were becoming of a premium. Having showcased their speed and class in the opening few minutes, this was certainly a testing quarter for England who had to work hard to stay on top of the game. Greenway was leading the rallying cry to her teammates as they gradually began to regain control.

Flashes of brilliance from Englands Mentor and Greenway helped to step things up; however, another sloppy 5 minutes had threatened to allow the Proteas back into the game. England finished the half strong and increased their lead to 7, finishing 24-17 at the half-time interval.  As the second half got underway, more changes to the line-up were made as Jo Harten and Sonia Mkoloma were introduced into the game as England looked to restrict the South African fight back.

Occasional world class play from England was being interspersed with poor feeds and lacklustre distribution. If the first few minutes of the encounter showcased attacking flair, these opening minutes of the second half were all about professionalism.

An ever-growing crowd were now fully behind the South Africans as they sniffed an upset. To compensate for the lack of flowing possession, England now had to show passion and controlled determination. South Africa were causing England problems with their movement and direct passing through mid-court. This was being countered with some fine shooting from Cookey and Harten as England took a 37-27 lead into the fourth quarter.

A fantastic atmosphere was now being created as every goal was being cheered by an increasingly boisterous crowd; who were seemingly having their own match. Every score from England was being greeted with rapturous applause from their fans at one end of the stadium, while every time South Africa put another goal on the scoreboard, the fans from the opposite end were equally animated!

For the first time in the encounter Jackson kept the same 7 on court that had finished the previous quarter as she looked to close the game down. Fantastic resilience was shown from the opposition as they went on the attack early in the final quarter and quickly reduced the deficit to 8 goals. This was fast becoming a hard fought spectacle that was being fully appreciated by those in attendance. A real end to end affair was played at the start of this quarter as both attacks were allowed to dominate the court. Scores were traded and England were looking comfortable with the advantage they had worked so hard to build up.

Almost unbelievably, the South Africans were yet to make a change and this was now beginning to take its toll. After three quarters of consistent hard work, they were now starting to feel the strain. This allowed England to find more space in the circle and stretch their lead to 17 with five minutes remaining.

A spirited South African side were now looking depleted and exhausted on the court. England were now able to control possession and play down the clock as they ran out 54 - 36 winners.  This was a much sterner test for Jacksons side, for three quarters of the game they were pushed physically and had to regain focus after some impressive passages of play from South Africa. This was always going to be a tougher match than the previous encounter against Barbados and England will be pleased that the pressure applied by the South Africans acted as a true test before their mouth watering clash with New Zealand on Thursday morning.

Shooting stats:
England: 83%

South Africa: 71%

Full Time - England 54 South Africa 36

Day 3 - Thursday October 7th

New Zealand 47 England 41

From the first whistle, the early morning start did not seem to bother either side as a ferocious start to proceedings saw a brilliant pace to the game with each team building pressure on the other.  A sign of things to come, as Jo Harten was penalised for contact in the circle while a great interception from Jade Clarke allowed Pamela Cookey to convert. A first turnover for England allowed Harten to give the side an early 4-2 lead.

However, aggresive work from the Silver Ferns was proving extremely productive as they gained a stranglehold on the succeeding minutes. Impressive hands in the attacking third were allowing New Zealand to build a lead.  Uncharacteristic mistakes from both teams in the opening minutes were making it difficult for England to find their rhythm. Sloppy penalties were being conceded and turnovers becoming more frequent.

England were now starting to match their opponents and with Geva Mentor and Sonia Mkoloma working effectively in defence to bring the ball forward, England converted four quick goals to level the scores with two minutes remaining of the quarter.  An untidy New Zealand continued to work hard and pushed forward as the end of the first quarter saw England narrowly trailing 10-11.

Early pressure from the New Zealand defence forced a stray pass from Harten but Clarke was quickly able to rectify the error and work the ball back into the circle for Cookey to score.  Turnovers throughout the court from both teams were continuing to mount up and it was increasingly seeming that this game would go to the team who managed to reduce the errors.
 
A change of style was now called upon by England, as an easy long ball found its way to Harten for a simple shot.  With seven minutes remaining on the clock, England started to find the gaps in the New Zealand defence and pulled ahead to a 3 goal lead for the first time in the match.  This made for outstanding shooting stats for Cookey and Harten, with 95% of shots on target.
 
England emerged at half time as the more composed of the two sides with a slight advantage of 24-22 going into the third quarter.

Half-Time: England 24 - 22 New Zealand

This game seemed destined to become a Commonwealth classic as strong work in both circles allowed both sides to continue scoring.  Clarke was continuing to play superbly at WD and her work rate and agility was causing the New Zealand side real problems.  Some poor England shooting was allowing the Silver Ferns to score unopposed and they were able to pull themselves back into a lead after 5 minutes of the second half.

With both teams still playing at a frenetic pace, Tamsin Greenway had a nasty looking collision with the shoulder of Katrina Grant. Thankfully, after a short delay for the physio to check she was ok to continue, the action was back underway.  A heavyweight quarter was being played out in the Thyagaraj Sports Complex as both teams traded scores, the match was becoming ever more tense.  A spell of sustained pressure from England eased them into the most slender of advantages. After what seemed like an agonisingly long piece of play, Harten eventually found the net as England finished the quarter leading 35 - 34.

Poor discipline from Cookey at the start of the final quarter allowed New Zealand to push into a 3 goal lead.  A lack of accuracy in the circle was proving to be extremely costly for England. The shooting accuracy dropped to 81% and the Silver Ferns were starting produce turnovers and punish these mistakes.  New Zealand were able to score 5 goals without reply in the opening five minutes and forge ahead 35 - 39.

The introduction of experienced co-captain Karen Atkinson for Greenway was failing to stop the nerves getting the better of England as mistakes were becoming more frequent and for the first time in the match New Zealand looked the more comfortable side.  England errors were becoming more costly as they continued to lose goals from their own centre pass, New Zealand were up 38 - 45 with two minutes remaining.  The tempo, energy and work-rate of the England squad could not be faltered. However, having lost the final quarter 6 - 13 there could be only be the one winner.

As England trudged off the court looking dejected they would have been wishing that the final quarter was a fairer reflection of the skill and passion they had shown in the previous three.  Next up for England is a match with the Cook Islands tomorrow afternoon. They must now shake off the hangover of today to ensure that they qualify as runner up in their group.

Full Time - England 41 - 47 New Zealand

Day 4 - Friday October 8th

England 81 Cook Islands 33

Starting 7 for England v Cook Islands:
GS - Rachel Dunn
GA - Pamela Cookey
WA - Karen Atkinson
C - Sara Bayman
WD - Stacey Francis
GD - Sonia Mkoloma
GK - Geva Mentor

As expected, England dominated the first quarter as their pace and agility had the Cook Islands chasing shadows throughout much of the opening 15 minutes.  Quick movement and good use of possession put England 5-0 ahead after the first three minutes.  A rapturous applause went up as the Cook Islands eventually found the net in their attempt to add some respectability to the scoreline.  England were incredibly strong in defence as Sonia Mkoloma and Geva Mentor continued to cement their reputation as one of the best defensive pairings in the game.

At the other end of the court Rachel Dunn was having a fantastic quarter as she scored from every inch of the circle. A shot from the edge of the circle to put England into a 16-1 lead was the pick of the bunch.  The only respite afforded to the Cook Islands was a time out following a knee injury to their Wing Attack towards the end of the quarter.  As the quarter came to a close England continued their relentless attack on the Cook Islands and took an already commanding lead of 26 - 4.

The aim of the second quarter was to continue to assert pressure on the opposition and not to become lazy with possession. Louisa Brownfield and Eboni Beckford-Chambers were introduced in place of Pamela Cookey and Mentor.  English dominance and ill discipline was still affecting the Cook Islands as they struggled to gain a foothold into the game. The pace was far from ferocious, but direct and quick passing was more than enough to put England on top.

To their credit, the Cook Islands were starting to get more into the game as the second quarter progressed. This was also helped as England started to become more wasteful with ball in hand through mid-court. In the first half, the Cook Islands were able to complete 12 turnovers.  The main difference in the second quarter was the quality of shooting. England were scoring at 86% with the Cook Islands only converting 61% of their chances.  The penalties conceded were also starting to accumulate for both teams as they shared 39 between them and the game became more stop-start than the opening fifteen minutes.

One of these penalties was conceded when Stacey Francis took a nasty looking knock in a collision with time running out on the first half. However, the Team Bath player is made from strong stuff and was able to continue.  As the half drew to a close there was just enough time for an uncharacteristic error from Brownfield as she missed from beneath the net. Therefore England entered the interval with an imposing 42 -14 lead.

Half Time: England 42 - 14 Cook Islands

A new look England arrived on court for the start of the second half. Maggie Jackson was utilising the full strength and depth of her squad as Tamsin Greenway was brought on for Sara Bayman, Cookey replaced the impressive Dunn, and Mentor swapped with Mkoloma.  A commanding start to the half saw great circle work from the English attack and equally strong defence push Jacksons side into a 55 - 19 lead halfway through the quarter.

Mentor was showcasing her athleticism and work rate in snuffing out any potential attacks from the Cook Islands, while brilliant work through the mid court by Clarke and Greenway was providing ample chances for the attack to score.  In the closing stages of the third quarter England had extended their lead to 42 points as they continued to punish any turnovers provided. Soft hands and quick reflexes ensured that the ball was being delivered into the opposition circle with ease.

A great show of work rate and professionalism ensured that England were able to continue closing out the game as they entered the final quarter with the score at 65 - 23.  A tentative start to the final quarter saw England concede turnovers as they struggled to pierce a defence that had been strengthened by a switch around in the final interval.  A small victory was had by the Cook Islands as in the opening three minutes of the quarter they were leading 3-2, a minor dent to the overall score.

Although not as tactically astute or technically strong as their English counterparts, a lot of respect had to be given to the Cook Islands. A resounding never-say-die attitude had been apparent for the whole game and the courage shown from all over the court was commendable.  This was intertwined with sporadic signs of really good play. However, the skills of the England team simply overpowered the Cook Islands; especially with Mentor demonstrating a defending master class at GK.

With five minutes remaining Jacksons side were pulling away with the score at 75 - 30.

The game was moving along to an inevitable climax as both sides tired in the closing stages. Both teams continued to create chances but, as with much of the game, England were more the clinical side as they completed a routine victory.

Shooting stats
England: 87%

Cook Islands: 65%

Full Time - England 81 - 33 Cook Islands

Day 5 - Sunday October 10th

England 89 Papua New Guinea 31

Starting 7 for England v Papua New Guinea
GS - Rachel Dunn
GA - Louisa Brownfield
WA - Karen Atkinson
C - Sara Bayman
WD - Eboni Beckford-Chambers
GD - Stacey Francis
GK - Sonia Mkoloma

A much changed England side got off to a blistering start as they sailed into a 6 - 0 lead after the opening few minutes of the game.  Louisa Brownfield and Rachel Dunn were working well as a combination underneath the net, although the shooting accuracy wasn't as high as Maggie Jackson would have liked.  It took Papua New Guinea five minutes to get off the mark as a penalty allowed them to make the score 11-1. This was a rare moment of trouble for Sonia Mkoloma at GK who was competing in her 95th test for England.

In what has become a signature of England in the Commonwealth Games, the goals flowed in the opening quarter as they dominated the opposition circle.  The score correctly portrayed how one-sided the opening fifteen minutes was as quick distribution and agile movment allowed England to tally up the goals. A good show of discipline and concentration ensured that England moved into the second quarter with a huge 27 - 6 lead. However, Jackson would be hoping for the attack to improve on the shooting accuracy that was sitting at 87%.

Jade Clarke and Geva Mentor took the court for the second quarter in place of Sara Bayman and Mkoloma as the defence was given the luxury of being rotated against their inexperienced opponents.  Although England continued to dominate possession and convert turnovers, there was still some anxiety being shown in the circle as Brownfield and Dunn were not as clinical as they are known to be. This was not going to cause any trouble for this game but these missed opportunities would be punished by a classier opponent.

A fantastic job was being continued in defence as Papua New Guinea were shut out as the halfway mark passed in the second quarter with the score at 36 - 6.  Papua New Guinea finally registered a score after 10 minutes of the quarter and the with their shooting stats sitting at a lowly 46% it was obvious as to why they were struggling to challenge the England lead.

The flow of play continued as England controlled the court and forced their opponents into sloppy mistakes. As half time approached Jackon's side had made 21 deflections which also demonstrated the work that was being put into controlling the game.  At the interval a score of 44 - 12 was a fair reflection on proceedings and England may well have been starting to think about matching the 102 goals that New Zealand had converted against Papua New Guinea earlier in the week.

Half Time: England 44 - 12 Papua New Guinea

Tamsin Greenway and Pamela Cookey were introduced following the half-time interval as Jackson turned to two of her more experienced players to ensure that there was no respite in the intensity level of the England side.  A strong defensive line was being lead by Stacey Francis who was playing fantastically and demonstrating her agility and movement with several world class interceptions.  The most obvious difference between the two sides was the height advantage that England had over their opponents. Direct passing into the circle allowed Brownfield and Cookey to continue adding to the score.

With five minutes of the quarter remaining England continued to look comfortable as they pushed into a 58 - 18 lead.  Papua New Guinea continued to be wasteful in possession and although this was their best quarter so far in terms of scoring, England never looked ruffled by their opponents and there was defintely a training match feel about proceedings.  Some wonderful mid-court transitions allowed England to stretch their lead to 66 - 21 at the end of the third quarter as the pace of the game started to slow, perhaps with thoughts of conserving energy for a much tougher game with Australia ahead.

Jackson once again turned to her bench at the start of the final quarter as Sara Bayman and Mkoloma were re-introduced to the action and Jo Harten made her first appearance in the game in place of Brownfield.  With a commanding lead, the empahsis was now placed on closing the game out as Papua New Guinea were on course to finish bottom of Group B and still without a win in the Commonwealth Games.  Bayman and Greenway were continuing to find neat feeds into the opposition circle as England went 81 - 26 up with five minutes remaining.

The number of deflections for England continued to mount as there was no let up in the pressure being applied to Papua New Guinea all over the court.  This allowed the pairing of Cookey and Harten in attack to finish a most professional job from the England side as the score showed 89 - 31 in England's favour as the final whistle sounded.  In all honesty it was a performance that was expected to be displayed against lower ranked opposition who were never anticipated to pose many problems. The attention now turns to the semi-final on Tuesday and a potential mouth-watering clash against Australia.

Jackson will be hoping that the chances will be taken and a shooting accuracy of 82% will be improved as she will be well aware that the Australian side will punish any mistakes a lot more successfully than the opposition they faced today.  For the mean time a convincing win and comfortable performance were delivered and thoughts can now turn to the business end of proceedings and the quest to bring a gold medal back home.

Shooting stats
England: 82%

Papua New Guinea: 70%

Full Time - England 89 - 31 Papua New Guinea

Day 6 - Tuesday October 12th

Semi Final - England 45 Australia 51

The action set off at a frenetic pace in this semi-final clash as England managed to sneak into an early 5 - 4 lead after the opening five minutes.  Both sides were forcing turnovers as the pressure of the occasion saw some basic passing errors starting to creep into the play.  A mis-placed pass from Pamela Cookey allowed the Australians to level the scores up as the game reverted back to scoring from centre passes.

Brilliant work from Geva Mentor in defence followed by great play through the mid - court from Tamsin Greenway and Sara Bayman put England into an 8 - 7 lead halfway through the first quarter.  However, another hopeful pass in mid-court conceded possession to the girls in gold and parity was restored. As expected from two world class sides, with five minutes remaining, the shooting accuracy from each team was at an exceptional 100%.  Unfortunately for Maggie Jackson's side, Jo Harten provided the first England miss as England trailed 10 - 11 with two minutes remaining.

A superb interception from the ever classy Mentor pushed England forward to draw the scores level.  A thrilling quarter was brought to a close with both sides deadlocked at 12 - 12 with 24 out of 25 attempts finding the net. England may have been disappointed not be ahead following the first fifteen minutes as they would have felt they edged the play.  A tense start to the second quarter saw all 14 players that began the game, remain on court. England were showing a great work rate as they pushed their opponents all over the court and forced errors. After four minutes of the second quarter England were leading by four. The statistics showed that Jackson's side had made 7 turnovers from the Australians and the pressure showed no sign of letting up.

However, you can never discount the world champions and any stray shots were being punished as the opposition attack was showcasing unerring accuracy at the other end of the court.  Misses from Harten midway through the quarter was causing potential problems for England as the fantastic defence of Mentor, Mkoloma and Jade Clarke had to keep the team's noses in front.  With seven minutes remaining of the second quarter, the Australian WD called a time out for a knee injury and allowed both teams to take a breather from the relentless action as the scoreboard read 18 - 16 in England's favour.

Another poor shot from Harten threatened to allow Australia back into the game as her footwork seemed to let her as down as the accuracy fell to below 75%. Jackson would be hoping that these missed opportunities did not come back to harm her side as it had done against New Zealand.  A superb piece of direct passing penetrated the Australian defence and set up a chance for Cookey, which she duly took to put England three goals ahead.  Tension was rife in the Thyagaraj Sports Complex as the half came to a close as both attacks started to miss easy chances.

Thankfully, the England pressure in mid-court from Clarke, Bayman and Greenway allowed England to keep a two goal advantage at the break, leading 23 -21.

Half Time: England 23 - 21 Australia

England had been in this position before, they were leading by two goals at the interval against New Zealand during the group stages and the team had to show increased concentration, stamina and determination in order to progress to the final and defeat their bitter anitpodean rivals. One change was made by Jackson at half time as Louisa Brownfield was introduced in place of the occasionally sporadic Harten. Some fantastic agility from Cookey allowed Brownfield to open her account and ensure that goals were traded at the start of the quarter. Skilful feeding and excellent footwork around the Australian circle ensure that England remained in front as they punished another turnover. Strong Australian defence was forcing the England attack into mistakes as they charged back to trail by one after five minutes of the third quarter.

A miss from Brownfield then gave possession away as the world champions drew the scores level and threatened to impose themselves on the game and punish earlier English misses.  Spaces were now being created throughout the court and the nerves were clearly setting in as error count increased with the nothing between the sides with five minutes left of the quarter, deadlock resumed at 31- 31.  For the first time in the encounter Australia were showing their dominance as they converted a turnover and raced into a three goal lead with the minutes quickly elapsing.  Mkoloma called for a time out to treat a hand injury and was replaced by Stacey Francis as the pivotal section of the game approached.

A potentially huge turnover from substitute Francis allowed England to pull themselves back into the game ath the end of the third quarter. As the whistle went England trailed by the single goal, 34 -35. As the third quarter finished, the statistics were showing that England's shooting accuracy had slumped to 83% compared to their opponents 95%. With the final fifteen minutes underway, Harten was brought back into the action for Brownfield and Mkoloma came in for Mentor at GK. The Aussies were now growing in confidence as defensive pressure forced the England mid-court into sloppy passing as they roared into a four goal lead at the opening stages of the final quarter. History was starting to repeat itself in the ugliest of fashion's. For the second time in a week they found themselves struggling in the final quarter against Australasian opposition. A brief time out for Sara Bayman, who seemed to be struggling with cramp, was the only respite from the Australian onslaught.

Unrelenting movement from the Australians was causing problems for the English circle as they maintained a 6 point lead halfway through the quarter. Somehow England needed to find turnovers. Superb work from Francis, gave Jackson's side their first opportunity but poor passing from Harten immediately conceded possession back. The clinical edge being shown from Australia was not being matched by England. With four minutes left on the clock, England were trailing 43 - 48 and a bronze medal play-off was looking the ever more likely scenario.

With two and half minutes left, the England side cut the lead to three as they pushed for a route back into the game. A valiant display was being shown by the England team; however, the Australians are number 1 in the world for a reason and shutting games down is a speciality. The relief on the Australian bench was obvious as the clock ticked down and they could finally celebrate reaching the Commonwealth Games final with a 45 - 51 victory. An incredibly entertaining game had ended in favour of Australia as they look to win back the title they lost four years earlier in Melbourne.

The England squad will be bitterly disappointed as once again they failed to kick on from an encouraging start and let slip a half time lead. What was obvious was that the team played with passion, determination and for three quarters of the game a huge amount of belief. As hard as it may be, the team must now pick themselves up for a bronze medal play-off match against the loser of the New Zealand - Jamaica game which will be played later today. A fascinating encounter ultimately ended in disappointment for the England team and their following. However, rarely has the gap between the top 4 in the world been so narrow and Jackson's side can take great heart from a strong performance. Following a week of incredibly hard work it would be of some reward if England were to bring home a medal; it may not be the one that was initially wanted, but a bronze would certainly cement their place as one of the best teams in the world.

Full Time: England 45 - 51 Australia

BRONZE MEDAL MATCH

England 70 - 47 Jamaica

14th October 2010

Starting 7 for England v Jamaica
GS - Jo Harten
GA - Pamela Cookey
WA - Tamsin Greenway
C - Sara Bayman
WD - Jade Clarke
GD - Sonia Mkoloma
GK - Geva Mentor

Although being far from a capacity crowd at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex, those that were in attendance were creating a fantastic atmosphere as this bronze medal match got underway.  The England flags in the crowd were outnumbering those of Jamaica and this seemed to have a positive effect on Maggie Jackson's side as they pushed into an early thanks to a quick turnover.

A tentative start was being played out by both teams with turnovers and conceded penalties becoming common place.  With five minutes of the match gone, Jamaica had move into the slenderest of advantages, 4 - 5 as the game was back on centre pass.  The match was already shaping up to be one where the team creating the fewer mistakes would come away with the medal.

Unfortunately, at the moment this was Jamaica. England were struggling in the opposition circle as Jo Harten missed two quick chances.  Fantastic work from Sonia Mkoloma in defence created another opportunity for the attack and a relieved Harten finally found her aim as parity was restored midway through the quarter at 7 - 7.  Harten was being expertly assisted by Pamela Cookey who was continuing her superb form from the semi-final, where she netted 100% of her attempts, as the teams traded scores to continue the tight fight for bronze.

This was a showcase of free flowing, attacking netball. Direct work through the mid-court was providing both attacks with ample opportunities to push the scoreboard on.  In particular Jamaica GS Romelda Aitken was causing England some defensive problems. The only thing stopping the lanky attacker was an accidental knock to the mouth as a time out was called with just over two minutes of the quarter remaining.  The fast paced action was again brought to a halt as another player called for a medical time out. This time it was the turn of England as, following an exceptional interception, Jade Clarke fell awkwardly on her ankle and had to be replaced by Karen Atkinson.

Atkinson moved into centre and Sara Bayman replaced Clarke at WD. The injuries did not halt the pace of the action as the quarter drew to a close.  A long range effort from Harten which just beat the whistle, ensured that England took the narrow advantage at the end of the first quarter; leading 15 - 14.  England would want to improve on shooting stats of 83% as three efforts failed to find the net in the opening quarter and previous experience in this competition would show how costly this could be.  As the teams came onto the court for the second quarter Louisa Brownfield came off the bench for a slightly mis-firing Harten.

Some brilliant defensive pressure from Mkoloma and Geva Mentor allowed England to get off to a whirwind start in the second quarter as they stretched their lead to four goals.  As the Jamaican defence went missing, Brownfield found herself with the freedom of the circle to ensure that after five minutes of the quarter England kept their advantage at 22 - 18.  Some sloopy play from the Sunshine Girls, coupled with strong defence from England pushed Jackson's team further ahead as they now held a 6 goal  advantage.

In paricular an interception from Mkoloma showcased the great agility and athleticism from defence, which was cause for high fives all round from her teammates as Jamaica called for another medical time out.  Mkoloma was having an inspired quarter in her final match for England this season as she was proving as tough as the security in Delhi to pass through.  Bayman and the returning Clarke were also dominating the mid-court as they provided Brownfield and Cookey regular feeds to push England into a 30 - 19 advantage with four minutes left in the half.  

The ferocious pace of the play and controlled agression of the match was causing plenty of work for the Jamaican physio as this time GK Althea Byfield was caught by a trailing arm and required immediate attention after what looked a painful fall.  The incident proved to be more serious than first seemed as a stretcher was called for an obviously stricken Byfield. Thankfully, to the applause of the spectators, the Jamaican was able to hobble off court as it became apparent that a twisted ankle had accompanied a suspected shoulder injury.

The time out did not stop the thundering English juggernaut as scores were traded towards the end of the half and they entered the interval leading 33 - 23

Half Time: England 33 - 23 Jamaica

England would be hoping to continue to punish errors from their opposition as they closed in on the bronze medal.  The only change for England as the second half got underway was Atkinson replacing Byaman at centre.  An extremely rare miss from Cookey saw the Sunshine Girls sniff an opportunity to eat into the 10 goal defeceit. However, Aitken could not take advantage and instead turned on her ankle and another time out was called in an increasingly disrupted match.

A three second penalty was called on Cookey in the circle as England had a goal disallowed and conceded possession to their opponent and after five minutes of the quarter the lead was cut to eight; England leading 37 - 29.  The Jamacian defence was working a lot harder at the start of the second half as they showed more passion and resilience. However, quick hands and classy feeds from Tamsin Greenway was proving the key to unlock this stubborn defence.

The introduction of Brownfield was working for the England attack as she brrought some much needed composure to the circle and clinically finished move after move as Jackson's side surged into a 13 goal lead, much to the delight of the onlooking Dame Kelly Holmes.  England were in complete control of the match as the third quarter reached its dying embers. Although injuries had disrupted the Sunshine Girls, England were showing phenomenal coverage all over the court and ensuring that they kept a stranglehold on proceedings.

Like a Chilean miner returning to the surface, remarkably Byfield returned to the court for Jamaica in a bid to shore up a leaky defence.  For the first time in the match the English defence was now conceding unneccesary penalties and allowing the Jamaican attack to score unimposed directly under the net.  This did not have a great impact on the score as England were still in control at the other end of the court and a rare miss from Brownfield was superbly gathered by Cookey on the rebound and returned to the net.

With fifteen mintues remaining, the battle for bronze, was firmly in England's favour as the lead was stretched to 50 -38.  Some poor feeds and inaccuracy from the mid-court was casting a shadow over the Sunshine Girls' attempt to secure the bronze.  The pace began to slow in the final quarter as missed chances were becoming more frequent and the game moved onwards to a seemingly inevitable conclusion. after the opening plays of the quarter, England remained ahead by 12.

The once inspirational and commanding figure of Jamaican attacker Aitken was now being trumped by the superior defending of Mentor and Mkoloma.  All over the court England were imposing themselves and were ensuring that the bronze would be theirs with a fantastic show of ruthless netball.  The ball was being turned over, quickly distributed and then convincingly finished as England pushed into a 60 - 42 lead halfway through the final quarter.

Although the statistics showed that Jamaica had the greater accuracy, England were creating far more opportunities and as the game wore itself down some disprited looking opponents only provided the chance for more English scoring.  On occasion, even with an eighteen point advantage, the England team were still not happy as Mkoloma roared her side forward after a mistake in the mid-court.  With two minutes remaining and England leading 65 - 47 the game was well and truly over and the faces on the bench told a different story from just 48 hours earlier.

Continued hard work from defence and more excellent interceptions from Mentor and Mkoloma allowed England to add the cherry on top of an already impressive looking cake.  An outstanding performance was finished off with another couple of scores and the England bench was on its feet to rush onto the court as the final whistle sounded on a dominant 70 - 47 win, and a deserved bronze medal went to England.

Fantastic scenes of sheer joy and exuberance continued on court as the players lapped up praise from the crowd as they lifted a flag with the words 'Thank You India' emblazoned across it.  A party atmosphere was in full swing as the defeat to Australia in the semi-final was put to one side and the squad could finally celebrate after a sheer rollercoaster of a competition came to an end.  Some amazing performances have been shown from the team and great pride can be taken from some brilliant matches where England were tantalisingly close to upsetting both Australia and New Zealand.

For now the team will have to settle for bronze, but the Commonwealth Games have shown how determined and ever close England are in their fight to become world number 1.  The next chance to see the Commonwealth bronze medallists will be in November, back home in Liverpool for the World Netball Series.  In a fast paced, shorter version of the sport England will be battling the top nations as they once again pit themselves against the best in the world.

As for today, the squad will celebrate a great achievement and can commend themselves on a fantasic display in the battle for bronze.

Full Time: England 70 - 47 Jamaica