KEY POINTS:
New Zealand struggled every inch of the way but couldn't haul back a resurgent England team in their hard-fought netball test in Manchester today (NZT).
England, whose only victory against New Zealand came 32 years and 67 matches ago, maintained their composure in the hectic closing minutes for
a well-deserved 50-45 win.
Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken had pinpointed England's abrasive in-goal defence of Geva Mentor and Sonia Mkoloma as a real worry before the game, and her concerns proved well-founded.
"The English defenders certainly caused us a bit of trouble at Commonwealth Games. They are very rangy, (with) long arms and they're very aggressive," she said.
But it was England's conversion of the possession Mentor and Mkoloma provided into points at the other end that really proved the difference between the two teams.
Louisa Brownfield, Pamela Cookey and -- in the third quarter -- Rachel Dunn moved well and shot even better for the full 60 minutes to secure a historic win.
The New Zealanders had their chances to draw even in the closing minutes but some uncharacteristic errors gave the level-headed English midcourt some bonus possession which was converted into the winning points.
Aitken said the Silver Ferns' communication let them down.
"We didn't have the links we need to play a team like England," she told TV One after the game.
"We didn't adjust to the speed of the game at the start, and also the way their goal attack was switching. We got a bit mixed up in that, which is really just those communication links.
"We fought really well to get back into that game, and it's hugely disappointing that we weren't able to nail it when we needed to."
Mentor and Mkoloma caused all sorts of problems for Silver Ferns shooters Irene van Dyk and Jodi Te Huna right from the first whistle, but it was the England through-court defence which put the Silver Ferns under the hammer.
The New Zealanders coughed up too much ball under constant pressure, and when they finally did get possession, they couldn't seem to hang onto it.
In contrast, the English timing on attack was excellent, their ball retention impeccable, and shooters Brownfield and Cookey converted consistently to give England a 19-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The combination between Te Huna and van Dyk looked hesitant, but given that their supply of ball from a disorganised Silver Ferns attack was minimal, that was hardly surprising.
Things improved briefly in the second spell for the New Zealanders, with two quick goals closing the gap momentarily. But another five-goal surge from England soon had them playing catch-up again.
England's speed into the circle meant de Bruin and Scarlett's one-on-one defence was regularly caught behind the ball, and Brownfield especially relished the extra space.
With about two minutes to go until halftime, Aitken rang the defensive changes, bringing on Casey Williams at goal keep and Joeline Henry at goal defence. The move brought immediate success, with two quick goals before the whistle to move New Zealand marginally closer at 20-29.
England missed only four attempts on goal in the first half, sinking 29 from 33 for an 88 per cent success rate while New Zealand managed 20 from 24 for 83 per cent.
Both teams finished on an identical success rate of 83 per cent at the end of the game -- England sinking 50 from 60 attempts and the Silver Ferns managing 45 from 54.
Silver Ferns captain Adine Wilson said it was difficult to know exactly where things had gone wrong.
"It's a hard one -- we'll definitely be analysing, but when we played with speed and let that ball go, it was just so easy.
"England did a great job spoiling the ball and slowing down our speed. You've got to give it to the English, they played exceptionally well, but we're better than this. We need to put it together and really make a whole 60 minutes of it."
It wasn't until the third quarter that the Silver Ferns managed to sink three goals in a row, with van Dyk appreciating more variety from her midcourt in getting the ball into the circle.
Te Huna also grew in confidence, showing some nice touches in feeding her shooter, and offering more options for the midcourt, which finally started to get on top of England's niggly one-on-one defence.
An ankle injury to Brownfield with three minutes of the third quarter remaining proved little disadvantage to England, Rachel Dunn coming on and combining well with Cookey to give the hosts a 38-35 lead at three-quarter-time.
Tamsin Greenway came on at wing attack for England captain Karen Atkinson in the final quarter, and a fresh set of legs helped give England the extra momentum needed to hold out the increasingly desperate New Zealanders.
- NZPA
