The Vitality Roses fought back from an early quarter scare to earn an impressive 73-52 win over Commonwealth Games silver medalists Jamaica in front of a packed crowd at the AO Arena.
Playing in Manchester for the first time since 2016, the Vitality Roses were roared out of the tunnel by 7,000 fans as more watched on from home on BBC Three and iPlayer.
Quarter one:
Playing in England for the first time since their historic silver medal in Birmingham, visitors' Jamaica started on the front foot as Jhaniele Fowler helped the Sunshine Girls establish an early four-goal lead, capitalising on some early errors from England. The hosts fought back and Jade Clarke, playing at the arena where she made her international debut 20 years ago showed quick thinking on the edge of the shooting circle, working the ball well with Jo Harten and Helen Housby.With their captain at the focal point of their attack, the Sunshine Girls made use of their captain’s tall frame and long reach, sending high balls into Fowler in the circle as they reaffirmed their advantage. The Vitality Roses moved the ball quickly but struggled to find any rhythm as Jamaica’s Jodi-Ann Ward and Kadie-Ann Dehaney defended tenaciously.
Quarter two:
Carrying the momentum, Jamaica continued where they left off and added two more goals to their lead. Despite the early setback, the Vitality Roses began to feel their way back into the game. Funmi Fadoju and Layla Guscoth combined well in defence whilst Imogen Allison showed great energy in the middle, forcing mistakes from Jamaica.In the attacking end, Jo Harten – back in the red dress after missing the recent series with Australia – demonstrated why she is one of the most effective shooters in Suncorp Super Netball showing consistency and composure under the post and firing from distance. With five minutes to go, Alice Harvey came in at goal keeper for Fadoju, giving the hosts some extra height in defence to combat the presence of Fowler.
The Vitality Roses continued to claw back the deficit, working the ball quickly around the court with speed and accuracy whilst capitalising on some Jamaica errors, bringing the score back to 31-34 in favour of the hosts.
Quarter three:
In the ascendency, the Vitality Roses emerged from the break with their tails up and levelled the game just five minutes into the third quarter thanks to strong shooting from Harten and Housby. After registering three turnovers and two intercepts in the first half, Vitality Player of the Match Guscoth continued her great form in the third quarter, using her experience and great positioning to slow down Jamaica’s attacking end. Going forward, captain Nat Metcalf orchestrated the Vitality Roses’ attack, showing great vision with her feeds into the circle.England took the lead for the first time in the evening just a couple of minutes before the end of Q3. Helen Housby capped off a strong 18-13 quarter sinking the final goal on the buzzer to get the AO Arena crowd on their feet.
Quarter four:
Looking full of confidence, the Vitality Roses began to pile on the pressure as the visitors struggled to keep up with England’s increasing tempo. Turning ball over across the court, the hosts began to dominate and within minutes had established a ten-goal lead.Head Coach Jess Thirlby turned to her bench and called Fadoju back into the game. She quickly made her mark at goal defence and alongside Guscoth and Harvey, established a strong defensive unit, limiting Jamaica to just five goals in the final quarter.
London Pulse duo Chelsea Pitman and Olivia Tchine joined the Vitality Roses’ attack late on and helped the hosts move past 70 as the Vitality Roses sailed to victory.
The Vitality Roses return to action for the second test on Saturday 14 January as they head down to London for a weekend of back-to-back netball at the Copper Box Arena.
Both days are sold out but if you’re not at the game, you can watch the action live across the BBC with the second game being shown on BBC2 from 2pm.
Vitality Roses starting seven: Funmi Fadoju (GK), Layla Guscoth (GD), Imogen Allison (WD), Jade Clarke (C), Nat Metcalf (WA), Helen Housby (GA), Jo Harten (GS)
Substitutes: Sophie Drakeford-Lewis, Alice Harvey, Chelsea Pitman, Olivia Tchine, Fran Williams
Jamaica starting seven: Kadie-Ann Dehaney (GK), Jodi-Ann Ward (GD), Crystal Plummer (WD), Nicole Dixon-Rochester (C), Khadijah Williams (WA), Shanice Beckford (GA), Jhaniele Fowler (GS)
Substitutes: Tafiya Hunter, Malysha Kelly, Shimona Nelson, Rebekah Robinson, Abigale Sutherland
