England beat Jamaica 55-47 in Manchester to take 1-0 lead in four-match Netball Horizon Series
England will head to Jamaica for final two matches of Netball Horizon Series with 1-0 lead after following opening draw in Manchester with 55-47 victory a day later; Fran Williams and Funmi Fadoju impress in defence for Vitality Roses, who pull away in second half of game
England took the lead in the four-match Vitality Netball Horizon Series against Jamaica with a hard-fought 55-47 win in match two in Manchester.
The Vitality Roses were denied victory in Saturday’s opening fixture at the same venue as Jamaica’s Shanice Beckford scored a last-gasp goal to secure a 49-49 draw for the visitors.
However, England held off the Sunshine Girls less than 24 hours later in a game in which Fran Williams and Funmi Fadoju excelled in defence but the hosts’ attacking game lacked cohesion at times.
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The final two games of the series will take place in Kingston, Jamaica on November 25 and 26.
Jess Thirlby’s side led 12-8 after the first quarter on Sunday but went into half-time at 24-24, with captain Williams noting a lack of discipline as she spoke at the break.
England rallied to lead 39-35 after the third quarter and then closed things out in the final 15 minutes as they added 16 more points to their tally compared to Jamaica’s 12.
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Thirlby ‘healthily dissatisfied’ but ‘super excited’
Speaking to the BBC after the game, head coach Thirlby said: “I am healthily dissatisfied that there is a little bit more to come but super excited at some of the snapshots of where I think this team can go.
“Thank god we got another chance to play [a day after the first game] as you could see we were a bit frustrated by the end of Saturday’s match, but we learnt so much from that.
“We exposed a couple of players and you need to do that.
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“That set us up for success today and meant we were a bit braver. The players were honest last night and I thought we were much better in the critical moments today.”
Thirlby also confirmed that England – ranked second in the world, behind Australia – will take 15 players to Jamaica.
She added: “The next couple of weeks for us is to still think about trying to get the win but not at all costs. We need to come home with a lot of information.”
England vs Jamaica: Horizon Series schedule
All times UK and Ireland
- Saturday November 16 (Manchester): England 49-49 JamaicaSunday November 17 (Manchester): England 55-47 JamaicaMonday November 25 (12am in Kingston, Jamaica)Tuesday November 26 (12am in Kingston Jamaica)
