Netball: Out-of-sorts Ferns fail to fire again

The Silver Ferns lost to England in Rotorua last night. Pictured is Silver Fern Laura Langman. Photo / File

The Silver Ferns will have to wait until Friday to get another chance at snapping their losing streak - which now stands at six games.

New Zealand lost to England last night 42-38 in front of a packed house at the Energy Events Centre in Rotorua.

The English exacted some revenge during the match, following their one-point loss to New Zealand in the Commonwealth Games semifinal in August. New Zealand are now in desperate need of a win, and will turn their attention to their second match against England on Friday in Palmerston North.

It took a while for New Zealand to get going last night, as England took an early lead. The Silver Ferns battled back well though, and exchanged the lead with the visitors.

But the English defence proved to be the big difference in the first quarter. They caused several turnovers and frustrated the Silver Ferns attack.

England took a 14-9 lead into the second quarter. The first half of the second quarter was a scrappy affair, with New Zealand battling hard to keep the scores close. But poor shooting by the Silver Ferns hurt any chance of a comeback in the first half, as the English took a 22-17 lead into halftime.

The Silver Ferns came out firing at the start of the second half, pulling the scores back to 25-all. But, after a time-out, the English regained the lead and took complete control of the match. A late flurry saw them take a 34-27 lead into the fourth quarter. By the start of the fourth quarter the Silver Ferns' shooting was down below 60 per cent, while the English were up above 80 per cent - a big concern for Silver Ferns coach Waimarama Taumaunu.

Despite the woeful shooting stats, New Zealand got the margin back to two goals with about four minutes remaining. They then scored again but England held their nerve, winning 42-38.