England Netball | World Indoor Netball Championships: 6’s Day Two

All three England Nets teams – Ladies, Mixed and U21 Women – continued their quest for gold on day two of the World Indoor Netball Championships in South Africa.

Here’s an explanation of the competition scoring system and how day two (Monday 5th 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

ENG 27-58 AUS

It was another tough game again Australia with the U21s starting slowly. However although it was a loss, the girls showed grit and determination by not giving up in any quarter and were unlucky not to win any skins points. They showed more confidence and were not fazed by the cauldron of the World Cup.

Player of the Match: Steph Marsden

“Unfortunately if we’re not putting the goals up, we’re not going to win. We need to get our heads into the game quicker” – Shelley Copland

ENG 56-53 RSA

In this game both defence and attack showed a steely performance with many of the shooters converting over 90% of their shots giving South Africa little chance to capitalise on any mistakes. The girls showed confidence which they brought through in abundance to this game which resulted in their first win of the World Championships. This win was a major boost for the girl’s morale both on and off the court.

Player of the Match: Ziana Butt

“We won this one because the girls worked really hard as a unit. The team pressure resulted in more turnovers and combined with a 91% conversion rate brought home the win” – Shelley Copland

ENG 35-68 NZL

This was always going to be a tough game due to the Kiwis physicality and skill level. The girls worked and played really hard however it was lost in the third quarter when NZL put on their strongest 6 and the team were a little slow to adapt. Going into the fourth quarter, the girls settled down, worked out what they needed to do and although we lost to them it wasn’t a catastrophic loss. Many of the other teams have lost by much higher margins.

Player of the Match: Vanessa Beal

“We never went into the game to win. It was all about making sure everyone had court time and keeping players fresh for finals day tomorrow” – Shelley Copland

REACTION

What were your thoughts on today’s games?

Today’s games were very positive and an improvement from yesterday. The whole squad has got onto the court today which shows the strength and depth of the squad. Winning against South Africa was a real highlight as it was one of the best team performances with everyone playing their role. Everyone felt supported by each other which lifted confidence and morale

What did you learn from today’s games?

Never to give up and to believe in ourselves!

Can we get a word on the opposition?

Every team has a different playing style and as a team we can use our strengths against their weaknesses. When we came into the competition we did not know what to expect and this is our first experience of anything like this. It has been a very competitive competition and it has really brought the team together so that we are growing in confidence together every day.

England U21 finished the day fourth in the table (10 points) with South Africa (13 points), Australia (30 points) and New Zealand (43 points) leading the way.

MIXED

ENG 56-57 AUS

With a slow start, the team went down 10 goals at one point in the second quarter giving themselves a lot of work to do. Once again a really strong second half winning both quarters resulted in a tied game with 30 seconds to go. Unfortunately Australia managed to score a 1 pointer in the dying moments to take the game.

Player of the Match: Simon Taylor

“The second quarter was key to the end result and shows how important each quarter is. If we meet them tomorrow we won’t be making the same mistakes. The team are confident and ready to take them tomorrow” – Ryan Allan

ENG 50-44 RSA

First England Nets Caps: Patrick Buckley and Laura Butler

It was a very low scoring first quarter with both teams fighting hard for all balls. South Africa took the first quarter 9-6. A dominant second quarter form England put them in a strong position but they let South Africa back in the third quarter leaving it all to do in the fourth quarter. England shot extremely well and South Africa fought to the end but were unable to catch England’s lead.

Player of the Match: Patrick Buckley

“Another even game and we will meet the South Africans in the semi-final tomorrow. England are going to need to play their best netball to progress past them to the preliminary final” – Ryan Allan

NZL 91-29 ENG

First England Nets Caps: James Everley and Stuart Nattrass

Really strong first quarter showing signs that if we focus quarter by quarter it is possible to beat NZL. However once again NZL played close to a perfect game. We took the opportunity to try some new combinations and everyone has now made the court during the tournament.

Player of the Match: Laura Butler

“An extremely physical game but played in good spirits and when things fall into place tomorrow we look forward to playing them in the grand final” – Ryan Allan

PREVIEW

What are you expecting from tomorrow?

Oo, finals day! What we like about the structure of the competition is that all four teams will make a semi final so it is all still all to play for. Anything can happen!

Depending where you finish in the group stage affects the number of games you need to win on finals day to reach the finals. First and second play each other for the first team in the final. Third and fourth then play with the winner facing the loser of the 1^st v 2^nd semi final in a preliminary final to decide the second team in the final.

Finishing in the top two in the group stages is an advantage, giving you fresher legs in a demanding competition schedule or two attempts to get into the final.

Everyone is going to be playing hard as the games are tight.

England Mixed finished the day third in the table on 22 points, tied on points with Australia (22) and with New Zealand (46 points) leading the way.

LADIES

AUS 67-48 ENG

It was a slow start to the game however accurate shooting, particularly in the second quarter allowed us to regain some control. The main goal for the ladies was to maintain a structure through the court and sticking to task regardless of the score.

Player of the Match: Kayleigh Jean

“Australia were hurting after yesterday’s loss and came out hard in the first quarter and third quarters. Their defence focused on reducing our shooting opportunities” – Faye Bateson

“Having lost the coach of 18 months to injury, the ladies have been adapting to a new style of coaching. This has taken them a little while to come to terms with. However I am pleased at the steady progression” – Sharron Lewis-Burke

ENG 44-72 RSA

Another slow start however after half time England found passion. One thing I love about these ladies is their determination. The growth in the relationship between their new Coach Sharron Lewis-Burke and this very talented group of ladies. For the first time they kept to structure through the court and through four quarters. The only thing left to settle was the accuracy on the shooting Links and Attacks.

Player of the Match: Brogan Griffiths

“The feel was right and the passages of play through defence to attack were very pleasing and huge step forward. I knew once the shooting settled we would be back in the running for a top two finish” – Sharron Lewis-Burke

ENG 58-62 NZL

A very close match and at one point England were ahead by 4 points. Structure from the team allowed unity and point scoring. The day before NZL comfortably beat England Ladies 49-65. Continuing the structure and consistency from the previous game, the shooters came to play with Natasha Khatib finally finding her form as she spearheaded a return to form by this squad. Lucy Herdman played an awesome holding Attack position, distributing the ball out to her links efficiently and effectively.

Players of the Match: Natasha Khatib and Lucy Herdman

“I knew they could compete with NZL if everything fell into place – England ladies are back! Two skins points earned and in a very competitive performance from the squad in a narrow 4 points defeat” – Sharron Lewis-Burke

England Ladies finished the day fourth in the table (10 points) with Australia (19), South Africa (30) and New Zealand (37) leading the way.

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

Tags:

England Nets England Nets Ladies England Nets Mixed England Nets U21 Women World Indoor Netball Championships

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