THE England Roses collected a historic test series win on New Zealand soil for the first time last week, taking out two of the three 2021 Cadbury Netball Series tests and claiming the Taini Jamison Trophy for the first time in the process. With all three matches done, dusted, and analysed, we delve into the best stats getters of the week that was.

>>2021 Cadbury Netball Series – NZ/ENG: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3

England

Plenty of goalers got their turn on the court throughout the three matches, with plenty of rotations made across the series to ensure both nations got some international experience into their young talent. George Fisher led the charge in the Roses’ attack, putting up an impressive 80 goals from 86 attempts throughout the series. The young goal shooter only played one full match; the second, where she fired 45 goals from 47 attempts, showcasing her ability to command the ball and the play despite sharing court time. Ellie Cardwell was next in line for volume, having slightly less court time than Fisher across the week and putting up 42 goals from her 52 attempts, often pushed out of position into goal attack. While Cardwell’s best was accurate and dangerous, she was only able to put up one goal from four attempts in the second match so will want to step up her consistency. England’s third goaler was Sophie Drakeford-Lewis, with the developing goal attack rarely looking out of place in the international game and adjusting as the series went on. She was the most accurate of the trio, missing just one attempt across the series and putting up 24 goals at 96 per cent, while also generating a combined effort of 25 goal assists across the three matches. While the trio were impressive, they also accounted for over a third of the nation’s total turnovers throughout the series (26 of 73) showcasing where they can improve in the future.

Laura Malcolm owned the airways throughout the series, and despite a couple of hiccups along the way, controlled the wing attack position fairly well, especially when combining with Drakeford-Lewis and Jade Clarke. Malcolm topped the tables for goal assists during all three matches, polling 21 in the first match before improving to 22 in the second and a series best 25 in the third, forging a better connection with her goalers as the series went on. While she tallied a whopping seven general play turnovers in the first clash, the defensive minded midcourter only added four more to her name across the series. Captain Serena Guthrie only tallied 18 goal assists across the entire series, but defensively she added a whole new layer to the court registering three gains and two intercepts across the first two clashes and going above and beyond in the decider, piling on three gains, three intercepts and four pickups to lead her side across the line.

The defensive end may not have set the stats sheet alive, but their work out on the court was undeniable. Each of the nation’s three defenders stepped up in each clash, with Layla Guscoth coming to the party in the first with five gains from an intercepts and six deflections, and rarely letting up in the second and third, despite earning limited court time. The tenacious goal defence finished with 10 gains, three intercepts and 25 penalties across the series. Geva Mentor starred in the second match despite a blood nose keeping her off the court for much of the second half, registering a series high six gains (two intercepts and five deflections) to tally eight gains, three intercepts and three pickups all up, but also registering a whopping 42 penalties. Fran Williams relished her time on court, registering two gains from two intercepts, three deflections and a pickup across her two matches.

New Zealand

Despite only claiming the one test win, the Silver Ferns were tough in all areas with plenty of rotations crucial to their game plan. Four goalers got the nod on court, with Maia Wilson the most prolific, shooting a combined 65 goals from 79 attempts at 82 per cent accuracy throughout her court time in all three matches, but had five turnovers to her name in both the second and third tests. Tiana Metuarau starred in the first match with 17 goals from 19 attempts before injury struck midway through the second, putting up nine goals from 10 attempts. She also registered a combined 20 goal assists across the two matches, with five turnovers in the second. Te Paea Selby-Rickit proved she was capable of taking the game on, putting up 15 goals in the first and 16 in the second, piling on 20 assists to lead all comers in the third test, while Grace Nweke earned her maiden cap in the second half of the second match, putting up 16 goals from 20 attempts despite shakiness under pressure.

Gina Crampton only played the one game due to injury but made her presence felt, working in tandem with Metuarau to craft the play and registering 16 goal assists, however also gave away six turnovers. Shannon Saunders took over the wing attack bib from then on, first earning 14 assist and then 11 in the third game, again with six general play turnovers to her name. The Ferns were unafraid to rotate their midcourt, with the likes of Sam Winders, Peta Toeava, Claire Kersten and Saunders turning on the defensive pressure to put a stop to the ball movement down court with a well-timed intercept or deflection, while Kimiora Poi played a dynamic impact role in the final clash, but it was too little, too late.

Defensively, the Ferns trio of Karin Burger, Sulu Fitzpatrick and Kelly Jury impressed throughout the series, with their cleanliness in particular showcased across the three matches. Fitzpatrick only played the first two matches, registering five gains (two intercepts, one deflection, two rebounds) and just six penalties to her name in her 30 minutes  of court time during the first match, and backed that effort up with just three penalties in 60 minutes in the second, adding two more intercepts to her tally. Burger had a quiet second outing but was instrumental in the Ferns’ opening win, with four gains (three intercepts, six deflections, one pickup) and just seven penalties to her name. She backed that up in the third with two gains, proving critical in the opening half. Jury impressed in her first big opportunity in the black dress, combining for 10 gains from her 19 deflections and 10 intercepts across the three matches, and with 25 total penalties to her name throughout.

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