England netballers prevail against Jamaica

England 48-36 Jamaica

17 eager UWWNC members travelled to Wembley Arena on Saturday 18 January to watch the England Netball team take on Jamaica in the opening match of the Tri-Series competition, which also features New Zealand.

Having already watched the England 2s squad annihilate their Welsh opponents with a final score of 58-36, the girls were excited to see what the first team had to offer.

After completing an intensive warm-up, which our captains Hannah Davies and Kate Hanshaw watched with an attentive eye for some exercises to bring back to training, it was clear from the atmosphere that the crowd were in for a good show.

The game got off to an explosive start as both teams went out hard, fighting for every ball. Both teams’ Goal Shooters stood at a formidable 6 ft 5, so the height on the balls being thrown in to the D were incredible and being so close to the goal the shooters rarely missed a shot.

At the end of the first quarter Jamaica held a deserved 10-7 lead, taking advantage of the unforced errors and missed shots by England.

In the second quarter it was time for England to bring the pain and fight back against the athletic Jamaican team.

The quarter was fluent and England managed to break by one point, making the score 20-19.

At half-time it was time for a performance from the Zeo boys, cheerleaders for the sponsors of the Tri-Series, and they certainly were pleasing on the eyes of the female dominated audience – making shapes I’ll be sure to try out in POP! this week.

It is fair to say that the third quarter was the pinnacle of the match, as England dominated their opponents. Any signs of weakness demonstrated by the Jamaican side were seized and pounced upon by the England squad. With a slight change in attack at half time the shooting stats were near 100% for England, resulting in a strong lead of 32-27.

The last quarter was the metaphorical nail in the coffin for Jamaica, as England built on their strong third quarter attacked with everything they had.

Taking full control of the game with the cheers and noise of the thousands of fans the final countdown totalled 46-38.

England were ultimately convincing; they improved throughout the match, equalling every bit of effort and athleticism shown by the strong Jamaican team.

Overall, this meant a strong and competitive start to the year for England. Next England play New Zealand in the Tri-Series and hopefully their success will continue.

It was a pleasure to witness the UWWNC girls laughing, joking and cheering together over the game we know and love. It’s safe to say we will be donning our serious socks and indoor trainers in the hope of showing a slither of the athleticism, power and elegance that we witnessed at Wembley on the courts of the Main Hall.

Keep your eyes peeled: it might just happen!