After defeating Scotland 62-37 in their final pool game in Cape Town, England won the Netball World Cup preliminary round. When these two countries face each other in major sporting events, there is a clear lack of affection. The match was anticipated as a physically intense encounter, as many players are familiar with each other from the Netball Super League. An early body check on the Thistle player Rachel Conway after she recovered a deflection was a reminder of this.
England, ranked seven places higher than Scotland in the world and boasting 513 more international appearances, had the sharper start. The Roses seized the lead in the first frame, igniting a run of four unanswered goals, all started by Chelsea Pitman’s deflection.
Tamsin Greenway
With more competitive games ahead at the Netball World Cup, the Scotland head coach, Tamsin Greenway, chose to blood her greener players, handing out World Cup debuts. But the Roses, with medal intentions, gave no quarter to the newbies. Pitman and Tchine, building on the strong connection that was evident during the Malawi win, powered England to a 13-goal lead at the break.
The Thistles’ seven that emerged out of the locker room after half-time showed a pinch more effectiveness than the previous two. Using the 1.94m tall Emma Barrie in the shooting circle, Scotland posted their best quarter score of the game (11-15). The Roses then responded with another rejig and the changes had an immediate impact. Funmi Fadoju, who came on at half-time at goal keeper, looked sharper at the goal defence. She, Geva Mentor and Fran Williams came up with 19 gains to propel England over the line.
“We were patchy on occasions but the start of the second and third again is becoming a good habit for us,” the England head coach, Jess Thirlby, said after the match. “I thought we stamped some authority on those moments in the game and I thought it was really encouraging.
