10.11.2024 Action during the FAST5 netball matches at the Wolfbrook Arena in Christchurch. Mandatory Photo Credit ©Michael Bradley.
The Vitality Roses have finished fifth at the FAST5 Netball World Series 2024 after a hard-fought weekend of competition.
England kicked off their campaign facing South Africa in the opening match. The pace was ferocious and both sides remained neck and neck as they settled into their stride. Calmly nailing the first six-point shot, last year’s MVP Paige Reed helped keep her teammates’ nerves at ease throughout, but it wasn’t enough as South Africa used the Power Play period to sink a six-point shot in the dying seconds and take the victory 25-33. Zara Everitt delivered a captain’s performance to lead by example and was named Player of the Match.
Back on court for game number two, the Vitality Roses returned with a steely determination to face Jamaica. Having laid all nerves to rest in game one, they came fast out of the blocks claiming a commanding lead in the opening quarter. Intercepts from Everitt and young gun Sophie Kelly gave England crucial opportunities to convert and with Harriet Jones claiming an impressive 91% shot success rate, the victory was theirs for the taking. After an impressive display, Jones picked up the Player of the Match honour.
The Vitality Roses weren’t able to build on their win against Jamaica as they were beaten 22-31 by Uganda in their next FAST5 outing. The She Cranes led from the off and despite England giving their all in a bid to swing the game in their favour, they fell short. Uganda’s Falidah Kadondi, who is set to star in the 2025 Netball Super League for new side Nottingham Forest Netball, was named Player of the Match.
Back in action for day two, England came flying out the traps in their penultimate group match against hosts New Zealand. With just one point separating the two sides after the opening quarter, neither side let up, forcing defensive pressure on those all important Power Play shots. The final quarter began with just one goal the difference and as the Power Play buzzer sounded, the points quickly began to rack up. Despite an opportunity for the Vitality Roses to level the score in the dying seconds, it was the hosts that finished on top with a two-point victory.
Fiercely determined in their last group game, the Vitality Roses faced an unbeaten Australian side. A strong start and confidence from Jones in the shooting circle kept England firmly in the race in the first half, whilst the defensive unit worked hard to put a stop to Australia’s long bomb shots in the Power Play periods, but it wasn’t enough and Australia confirmed a spot in the final with a 41-27 victory.
Results meant that the Vitality Roses faced Jamaica in the fifth/sixth play-off. England had dominated their opponents from the off previously but the two sides were evenly matched in a low-scoring opening and the two sides were all square going into the decisive fourth-quarter Power Play. Paige Reed (with a four-pointer) and Jones were on target to put England out in front before a nervy finale as Amanda Pinkney had three attempts to nail a six-pointer that would have taken the win for Jamaica. The ball wouldn’t land for Pinkney though as Sonia Mkoloma’s side secured a fifth-place finish, with Kelly scooping the Player of the Match award in the team’s final game.
The Vitality Roses’ next international action is the four-match Vitality Netball Horizon Series against the Jamaica Sunshine Girls which starts on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 November in Manchester. Tickets are still available here or if you can’t get to the arena, you can watch live on the BBC.
