ENGLAND Roses bloomed at the right time to defeat the Jamaica for only the second time in six outings, recording a 55-45 win in the Reunited Series first test at Cooper Box Arena last night. In the first of three tests, the Roses – who boasted their strongest goal combination of Jo Harten and Helen Housby for the first time since 2019 – were able to pile on 30 goals to 19 after half-time.

ENGLAND 10 | 15 | 16 | 14 (55)
JAMAICA 11 | 16 | 9 | 10 (45)

Whilst the English crowd was always going to give the Roses the motivation they needed, it was the Jamaican defence that stood tall in the opening stanza. Kadie-Ann Dehaney and Shamera Sterling teamed up well against fellow Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) goalers Harten and Housby, to help limit their impact and hand Jamaica a one-goal lead at the first break.

That lead doubled by half-time with the Sunshine Girls holding a 27-25 advantage by half-time, with Eleanor Cardwell coming on for Housby and teaming up well with Harten in the circle. The pair seemed to click and that momentum followed into the third term, where the world number threes kicked into gear. After a strong first half by high-volume post shooter Jhaniele Fowler, it was the inclusion of Eboni Usoro-Brown – replacing Stacey Francis-Bayman at goalkeeper – who managed to quell the towering presence.

It was no surprise to see that England’s depth was on show, with the Roses having far more options and tricks to rest upon for much-needed changes. Layla Guscoth teamed up well with Usoro-Brown, and together with the equally court-savy Beth Cobden, were able to hold up their end of the court to ensure the Roses shooters had the most opportunities. England continued that trend with a 14-10 final term, which doubled their five-goal final break lead to eventually secure the 10-goal win in front of a full stadium.

Cardwell’s impact coming on just before half-time was the turning point, which resulted in Cardwell being named Player of the Match for her 90 per cent shooting efficiency. The teams will have a six-day gap before back-to-back matches next week on December 4-5, which take place at Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham.

KEY POINTS

1. England’s shooting depth is a headache for other nations

It was already well-known that the Roses have depth enough to be the third-ranked nation behind Australia and New Zealand, with so many talented athletes testing themselves in the SSN or ANZ Premiership competitions. The fact that two of the world’s best shooters in Harten and Housby have the option of resting thanks to the depth of Cardwell or George Fisher, means coach Jess Thirlby has plenty of options.

2. Individual matchups key to victory

Netball is always a game of moments and decisions. With Jamaica on top early and Fowler on top of Fever teammate Francis-Bayman, the inclusion of Usoro-Brown proved inspired. It was just as important as Cardwell coming on up the other end to throw a spanner in the Jamaican’s defensive works. Whilst Housby is an incredible talent, the change-up worked with Cardwell adding that extra physicality and combining with Harten well throughout the second half.

3. Jamaica needs to have a Plan B

While England is able to rotate players and provide that extra spark when the chips are down, the Sunshine Girls do not have that depth. A lot of the planning goes into long bombs into Fowler for the world’s most consistent shooter to go to work. Once Fowler’s influence was somewhat stemmed, the Carribean nation did not have another answer to switch up, and to have a chance of knocking over the Big Three going forward, they will need to find some backup options.