England suffer heavy netball defeat by Australia
Defending Commonwealth champions Australia cruise to a 66-47 victory over England in Glasgow
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- England suffer a 66-47 defeat against Australia in Glasgow
- Sophie Garbin scores 41 goals from 42 attempts for Australia
- England miss key players due to injuries including Natalie Metcalf
England captain Fran Williams admitted her team fell well short of their potential as they suffered a heavy 66-47 defeat against defending Commonwealth champions Australia at The Hydro in Glasgow. The Roses had opened their Pool A campaign on Saturday with an 83-34 victory over Northern Ireland.
However, Sunday's encounter told a different story as Australia outplayed the English side from the outset. Australia asserted their dominance early, racing into an 18-11 lead after the first quarter and stretching their advantage to 56-35 by the end of the third.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Sophie Garbin led the charge for Australia by scoring 41 goals from 42 attempts, while Olivia Tchine finished as England's highest scorer with 23 goals from 25 attempts. Eleanor Cardwell also contributed 10 goals from 13 attempts after coming on for the final quarter.
"far from our best"
Reflecting on the performance, England captain Fran Williams stated that her team were far from their best during the match. England will look to bounce back when they face Malawi on Monday at 14:00 BST.
Netball at the Commonwealth Games is traditionally contested fiercely among powerhouse nations like Australia, New Zealand, and England. Although England famously captured the gold medal in 2018 on the Gold Coast, they missed out on the podium at Birmingham 2022. Managing squad depth, overcoming key injuries, and navigating coaching transitions remain major hurdles for national teams competing in high-pressure multi-sport events.
The English squad faces an uphill battle in this tournament, with only two out of the 12 players possessing prior Commonwealth Games experience. This comes after gold medallists Helen Housby and Natalie Metcalf were sidelined, the latter withdrawing with a calf injury. Furthermore, former head coach Jess Thirlby stepped down in March for family reasons, leaving assistant Anna Stembridge in interim charge.
Source: BBC Sport
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