The England senior squad have have continued their recent winning streak with a 3-0 win against Jamaica in their test series in Kingston this month.
On April 3, 4 and 7, the England Netball senior squad wiped out the Sunshine Girls and clinched a stunning whitewash, emerging triumphant after all three games. With this victory coming so soon after their historic defeat of former world number ones Australia, the national side is looking unstoppable at the moment.
Head Coach Anna Mayes said of the victory: “To go to Jamaica and win on Caribbean soil is harder than at home and we should be really proud of our efforts. We needed to ensure that we kept the momentum from the Jan Series, even with a very different looking squad. This squad had to stand up and be accountable, with both teams with changes to their squads from sept. Neither should have been underestimated and we certainly went with a clear game plan, expectations and standards to which we needed to meet.”
The opening game saw England take an early lead and maintain their upper hand through some dominant defensive displays throughout the court. Mayes complemented her mid-court defender Laura Malcolm on her performance in the game: “She was excellent today; she dominated at times and communicated excellently with Serena Guthrie who produced a typically bubbly display and gained a lot of turnover ball.” The game finished with a score of 53-42.
The second game was more difficult with the Jamaican side making a rallying effort in the second half to catch England’s lead. With the help of a fervent home crowd, the Sunshine Girls increased their intensity and closed the lead significantly. However there just wasn’t enough time to close the gap and the final score was 5-45 to England when the final whistle went.
Having already won the series, the final game was the perfect opportunity for England to relax and display their dominance over their Caribbean counterparts. Tireless work from the consistent defender Stacey Francis, coupled with confident shooting from captain Pam Cookey and Rachel Dunn, lead England to complete their clean sweep with an impressive 50-36 final score.
Mayes commented: “We can’t get carried away with the finished article. We need to produce four consistent quarters and we will go away to analyse and scrutinise quarter by quarter to make sure we improve.”
Sportsister, The Women’s Sport Magazine
