Netball Quad Series – Frankie Stenning

Sport Mr Hodson October 9, 2018 0 Comments

Owing to a technical glitch, this article was originally completed two weeks ago but has only just been published. Bear in mind in terms of time references.

After a great victory in the Commonwealth Games, the England Roses returned to Australia. These series of matches are a competition in which England competes against Australia, New Zealand and South Africa with training in between. With their return came injury, disappointment but also success. A hard three games and intense training over the preceding week placed the Roses in second place as they leave with two wins and a loss. However, it also brought joy for Helen Housby (GA/GS) as she leaves with her 50th cap for England at the age of 23.

The first game for the Roses was against New Zealand. In the past this country had been tough competition for them, but recently the Roses have consistently beat them. Once again, the girls showed their strength as they dominated the Kiwis with a 52-39 win – the biggest yet. England held a constant presence in the game by winning three out of the four quarters and looked comfortable in their play as a team. Captain, Geva Mentor (GK/GD), was really pleased with her team. She said, “We knew the Ferns had a point to prove and it was pleasing for us to grind it [the game] out.” Although this win was an excellent start one team member did not have so much to celebrate. Key shooter, Jo Harten (GS/GA) took an injury to the knee and could not take part in the rest of this game nor the series.

Having high spirits after such a commendable win, the Roses then returned to the court on 19 September to play against the hosts – their biggest rivals. Australia were looking for a comeback, having been beaten on home ground already this year. They played hard and quickly took the lead. The Roses tried their best to fight back, trying different combinations of players against the Aussies’ unavoidable flow but all was in vain. Although England came back late in the game, their push was not quite enough to break the Aussie defence and attack. The Roses finished with a loss of 52-47. Disappointed but ready for an aggressive final game against South Africa.

The Roses’ final game of the series was a win. They played fiercely on court right until the last minute to score their win of 45-42. This was a true trial for England as South Africa were initially ahead. However, the Roses surged forward in the final few minutes of the game to claim their victory after what looked like a loss (38-41 before the Roses pushed on). Their last-minute comeback beat the exhausted South African team and allowed them to take

the win from South Africans hands, managing what they could not against the Australians. This close and heart-raising game was a true testament to the England squads’ strength, and also their opponents’, as every ball had to be fought for, but eventually victory was claimed by our Roses.

Finishing in second place, equalling their best in previous Quad series, the Roses still have a few things to work on. This season, the Netball World Cup takes place on home ground in Liverpool and here the Roses are hoping to conquer with another World victory. Lots more training will be completed and many more international matches will take place between now and the Summer of 2019, highlighting the Roses’ growth in strength and also overall improvement as a team. Hopefully the Commonwealth gold medalists will be able to pip Australia to the post to become World Cup winners this Summer surpassing even their second place in this current Quad series.

By Frankie Stenning