Following a commanding 70-45 victory for South Africa over Uganda, fans at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham and watching at home on Sky Sports Mix cheered the Vitality Roses to a 62-36 victory over the Malawi Queens.
England started strongly, opening up a 3-0 lead to begin the game after capitalising on a couple of errors in the Malawi shooting circle. To the delight of the Nottingham crowd, debutant Paige Reed slotted her first goal for the Vitality Roses and went on to combine seamlessly with goal shooter Liv Tchine, building a 17-13 lead for England by the end of the first quarter.
Quarter two saw an unchanged line up for both sides and England applied defensive pressure early, extending their lead to seven goals. Malawi responded quickly, closing the margin back to four and refusing to let England further grow their lead. A deflection from Funmi Fadoju followed by a pick-up from Ellie Rattu late in the quarter gave England the opportunity they had been waiting for, but a missed shot meant that they were unable to push past the seven goal-margin as a missed shot on the buzzer for Joyce Mvula left the half-time score at 31-24.
As the second half began, Amy Carter entered the court at centre for the Vitality Roses and captain Fran Williams came on at goal defence. An injury to Liv Tchine saw her leave the court, and she was replaced by Emma Thacker, making her debut for the Vitality Roses. Settling into the game, she sunk her first shot from mid-range as she joined fellow debutant Paige Reed in the shooting circle for England.
As the third quarter came to a close, Razia Quashie won a rebound from Malawi underneath the post lifting the Vitality Roses squad as the scoreline opened up to a ten-goal lead, swiftly followed by an intercept from Williams.
In a storming 20-4 final quarter, the Vitality Roses powered their way to victory on court. With Alicia Scholes coming onto court in wing attack and Rattu returning to court, this time wearing the wing defence bib, and the young combination of Thacker and Reed finding increased confidence and connection in the shooting circle, England demonstrated their dominance on court. Halimat Adio replaced Quashie, making immediate impact as she combined with Williams to apply exceptional defensive pressure, confirming the Vitality Roses’ victory.
Paige Reed was named the Vitality Player of the Match, and she reflected on her debut saying “I honestly cannot put into words [what it means]… It’s something that I’ve dreamed of ever since I stepped onto a netball court and the fact that I’m here right now genuinely feels so surreal”
Vitality Roses Head Coach Jess Thirlby reflected on the team’s performance, saying: “I’m really proud of everyone’s contribution… I thought Razia really led from the back and I thought those that came in really added something. Given that we have got some less experienced players coming in, I think they pleasantly surprised themselves, so hopefully they’ll believe in each other as much as I believe in them.
“In quite a short space of time I think the attacking connections were quite pleasing tonight. We’ve invested a lot of time to build their confidence and clarity on the structures, so I think there was a lot for us to work with tonight to build on for tomorrow.”
England take on South Africa tomorrow as the Vitality Netball Nations Cup continues, with all games available to watch on Sky Sports Mix and YouTube (for UK viewers) and NetballPass (for international viewers).
Vitality Roses starting seven: Razia Quashie (GK), Funmi Fadoju (GD), Beth Cobden (WD), Ellie Rattu (C), Jess Shaw (WA), Paige Reed (GA), Liv Tchine (GS).
Malawi starting seven: Tendai Masamba (GK), Towera Vinkhumbo (GD), Grace Mwafulirwa (WD), Takondwa Lwazi (C), Thandi Galleta (WA), Ethel Ng’ambi (GA), Joyce Mvula (GS).
