All three England Nets teams – Ladies, Mixed and U21 Women – continued their quest for gold on finals day at the World Indoor Netball Championships in South Africa.
Here’s an explanation of the competition scoring system and how day three (Tuesday 6th August) panned out…
Scoring System
1) The intention of this scoring system is to provide further strategy and interest to all matches regardless of the total team scores, and the following match points will be awarded under this system;
Win 4 Points Draw 2 Points Loss 0 Points Default Win 8 Points Default Loss -8 Points
2) In addition to the above match points, the team scoring the most goals in each quarter will be awarded an additional point and this is known as a skins point.
3) One skins point is offered for each quarter, making a total of four skins points per game.
4) In the situation where the goals scored by each team in any quarter are equal, the skins point to be awarded for that quarter will jackpot forward to the next quarter or backwards in the case of the last quarter.
U21 Women
ENG 43-39 RSA
Starting VI: Abby Miles | Steph Marsden | Victoria Lavender | Ziana Butt | Kalea Stagg | Marney Ross-Johnson
After finishing in fourth during the group stage phase of the tournament, England Nets U21 Women were tasked with an encounter with hosts South Africa to decide who would play in the preliminary final against Australia.
England Nets U21 Women went into their first match of the day with a positive attitude having won one and lost one to South Africa in the group stages. Although South Africa took an early lead, Shelley Copland’s team fought hard and made South Africa chase the game with the highest number of turnovers created in any match so far.
Player of the Match: Marney Ross-Johnson
U21 Head Coach Shelley Copland said: “I’m very proud of the girls who managed to shut down their nerves fairly quickly and make the changes discussed in the debrief from the previous day’s performances.”
ENG 44-49 AUS
Starting VI: Abby Miles | Emily Geear | Victoria Lavender | Ziana Butt | Brooke Vivian | Kalea Stagg
With a place in the final against New Zealand up for grabs, England Nets U21 Women’s game with Australia proved to be an exciting one.
Copland’s side managed to maintain their characteristically high percentage of shots on target but the Australian defence limited the number of attempts. The game was never completely out of their reach thanks to some superb defending but Australia just edged it.
Ultimately, England Nets U21 Women finished third as New Zealand went onto win the gold.
Player of the Match: Brooke Vivian
U21 Head Coach Shelley Copland said: “The girls fought to the bitter end and, even though it wasn’t a win, I am proud of every single one of them for their fight and determination. Now we can get our heads together for the 7’s tournament.”
U21 Women Final Placings:
1) New Zealand
2) Australia
3) England Nets
4) South Africa
MIXED
ENG 54-42 RSA
Starting VI: Michael Clarke | Dayna Kosega | Simon Taylor | Jen Walsh | Kellie Hull | Geoff MacKay
After finishing third in the group stage, England Nets Mixed faced South Africa to decide who would face Australia in the preliminary final.
England Nets Mixed started strong in the first quarter and maintained that strength and composure through into the second quarter, entering half-time with a five point lead. England weathered a late South African storm and, in the fourth quarter, the hosts’ threat started to wane.
Player of the Match: Geoff MacKay
Mixed Head Coach Ryan Allan said: “Those were our best four quarters of the tournament so far. After three days, we pulled it all together and showed what we were capable of.”
AUS 55-48 ENG
Starting VI: Michael Clarke | Dayna Kosega | Simon Taylor | Jen Walsh | Kellie Hull | Geoff MacKay
England Nets Mixed then faced Australia in the preliminary final with a place in the final up for grabs.
Just one point proved the difference in the two previous meetings between this pair as each came away with a win. This was another fiercely contested encounter as both went into half-time level. The third quarter was an intense battle with neither team able to pull ahead. Australia made some tactical changes and came out firing for the fourth quarter, however, which eventually swung the game in their favour.
Ultimately, England Nets Mixed finished in third place as New Zealand went onto beat Australia in the gold medal match.
Player of the Match: Geoff MacKay
Mixed Head Coach Ryan Allan said: “This game hurt so much because everyone believed we could win it. We’ve worked so hard and come so far. Everyone deserved to come away with a medal. Sadly, it wasn’t to be this year but we will be back bigger and better next time around.”
Mixed Final Placings:
1) New Zealand
2) Australia
3) England Nets
4) South Africa
LADIES
ENG 51-52 AUS
Starting VI: Lucy Herdman | Florence Edwards | Thea-Rose Thompson | Natasha Khatib | Kayleigh Jean | Caroline Buckland
After finishing fourth in the group stage, England Nets Ladies played third-place Australia to see who would face South Africa in the preliminary final.
The Ladies started positively against the Australians due to their strong structure, which resulted in a number of turnovers. It was a close encounter with Australia edging ahead in the third quarter. The injection of Natalie Miller late on helped boost the team and England battled back from a 12-goal deficit in the final quarter. They almost had the win but Australia managed to hold their ground.
The result meant that England Nets Ladies finished the Super 6’s category in fourth place.
Player of the Match: Thea-Rose Thompson
Ladies Assistant Coach Faye Bateson said: “I’m really proud of the team, they showed hard grit and determination and left everything on the court.”
Ladies Final Placings:
1) New Zealand
2) Australia
3) South Africa
4) England Nets
You can follow England Nets on their World Indoor Netball Championships campaign on their official Twitter and Facebook accounts.
For more information, visit the World Indoor Netball Association website.
Photo credit: James Everley.
