England vs Jamaica: Vitality Roses win opening game in three-match series with impressive performance | Netball News

England trailed by 10 goals against Jamaica before finally clawing their way back into the game to score a 73-52 World Cup victory; The Netball World Cup takes place this summer from July 28 to August 6, all live on Sky Sports

Jo Harten was on target for England as they dominated Jamaica in the final quarter

England’s Vitality Roses made an impressive start to 2023 by beating rivals Jamaica in a brutal 73-52 display at Manchester’s AO Arena on Wednesday.

England kicked off the first of the three-match series by dismantling the Commonwealth Games silver medalists in the final quarter to deliver a stunning victory.

Head coach Jess Thirlby admits the match against Jamaica is all geared towards the Netball World Cup this summer.

He told me BBC Sport: “It’s definitely about the long term, but everything we do, you have to have the intention to do both. Part of learning to be better at the World Cup is learning how to win the game. We’ve got a lot of new stuff there.

“The World Cup is always our goal, but we also want to win.”

Helen Housby (left) and Malysha Kelly in action at Manchester’s AO Arena

The Sunshine Girls got off to a torrid start, resulting in a nice transition court pass to goal shooter Jhaniele Fowler for a 19-13 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Thirlby’s side worked hard in a fast-paced match, with Jo Harten and Helen Housby combining neatly to keep England in contention.

Jamaica’s lead was cut to three goals by half-time after another hectic quarter and starting to show some signs of nerves.

With the visiting team losing momentum, Roses took advantage to close the gap to 34-31.

The tide turned England’s way midway through the third quarter with the home team going ahead and building a slim cushion, leading 49-47 in a roller-coaster race to the final quarter.

The Roses continued to show all their experience to run away with the contest in the last 15 minutes.

Natalie Metcalf, Harten and Housby toyed with the Jamaican defense to add to the tally and seal an emphatic victory between the third and fourth ranked teams in the world.

What’s next?

The team heads down south to London’s Copper Box Arena for back-to-back games on January 14th and 15th.

The series is part of the Roses’ preparations for July’s World Cup in South Africa – live on Sky Sports.