Netball: Ferns to have tough lead-up

By Suzanne McFadden

Former Silver Ferns netball captain Wai Taumaunu is bringing English netball to New Zealand next year, giving the Ferns a dummy-run against their top-four opposition in the lead-up to the world championships.

England's national side will play in the new Star Series against New Zealand zone teams in May.

It will mean the Silver Ferns players will meet Australia, South Africa, England and Jamaica before the world championships in Christchurch in September.
Taumaunu, England netball's new performance director, arranged the English tour
with Netball New Zealand.

For the first time England will pay their own way to New Zealand, with the locals picking up the tab once they get here.

The bronze medallists at the Commonwealth Games this year, England will play North, Central and South in the week-long round-robin series, which ends in a final.

From there England go on to play a three-test series against world No 1 Australia across the Tasman.

"The Star Series will be like another test series," said Netball New Zealand executive director Alastair Snell. "It's great that we are going to play against the other four best sides in the world in our build-up."

The Ferns tour Jamaica for two tests in February, play Australia in the one-off match for the Fisher and Paykel Cup at the end of that month, then host South Africa for three tests in June.

"The really pleasing part is that other nations outside New Zealand and Australia are very serious about their preparation for the world champs," Snell said.

Netball New Zealand had originally looked at inviting an Australian state side for the series.

"But when we established England's interest, we realised they were a much better option," he said. "We'd like to get more international sides involved in the future, maybe teams from the South Pacific and Africa, and have a six to eight-team event in 2000."

Meanwhile Auckland will get to host a test match next year after missing out in 1998.

The third test against South Africa will be played in Auckland on June 22. The first and second internationals will be in Wellington and Christchurch.