England 40
New Zealand 38
KEY POINTS:
England completed possibly the biggest turnaround in netball history with an astonishing 40-38 win over New Zealand in tonight's second test at Dunedin's Edgar Centre.
After a craven 26-65 capitulation against New Zealand in Auckland on Monday, the only way was up for England in the second test of the three-match series.
And they responded with grit and style, holding the Silver Ferns to 9-9 after 15 minutes and digging in deep in the second quarter to trail 17-21 at halftime.
It was a different English team on court, a faster-paced, more focused and more motivated outfit.
Their midcourt put far more pressure on the Silver Ferns attack, and their defence, boosted by the return of Geva Mentor at goal keep, kept New Zealand's shooting circle under constant pressure.
But the big difference from Monday's feeble England effort came in their work off the ball. Players were holding their space with more conviction, then moving into space at pace. The result was obvious after just 15 minutes, with the scores tied 9-9 at the end of the first quarter.
Both teams were guilty of turning over the ball, largely as a result of some intense midcourt defence, exemplified perhaps by Silver Ferns wing defence Joline Henry whose work-rate and anticipation resulted in numerous tips and intercepts.
New Zealand coach Ruth Aitken's opening line-up had a fresh look about it, with newcomer Katrina Grant earning her first start in a Silver Ferns bib at goal defence.
Star midcourter Laura Langman was initially rested as Maree Bowden came in at wing attack, while Irene van Dyk again shifted upcourt to goal attack with Daneka Wipiiti starting at goal shoot.
England were boosted by the return of Mentor from an ankle injury but coach Sue Hawkins basically stuck with the line-up which struggled so much two days earlier.
Mentor's combination with Sonia Mkoloma at the back put huge pressure on Wipiiti and van Dyk in the circle, and New Zealand midcourters Maree Bowden and captain Julie Seymour had to work the ball round - and back - constantly in an effort to find a path in.
Down 17-21 at halftime, the English came out blazing in the third quarter, sinking five unanswered goals to take the lead with barely three minutes of the spell gone.
Sheryl Scanlan came on for Grant at halftime, and Bowden made way for the inspirational Laura Langman at wing attack, but the Silver Ferns just weren't allowed to fire as England ramped up the pressure even further.
The combination between centre Jade Clarke and veteran wing attack Karen Atkinson grew in confidence as the game progressed, and shooters Louisa Brownfield and Pamela Cookey relished the quality feeding into the circle to put England ahead 30-29 at the break.
Aitken benched the erratic Wipiiti, who sunk an ordinary 15 from 23, at three-quarter time and brought Maria Tutaia on at goal shoot.
But in the end, not even Tutaia could arrest the English momentum and the English completed a famous victory.
Aitken praised England's rebound from the first test hammering, saying they did a good job in mid-court to shut the New Zealand attack down.
She felt the Ferns' confidence in attack was lacking and that came from all the way through the court.
"It was certainly a below par performance (by the Silver Ferns) but England played very well.
"We didn't adjust on attack through the court and we didn't adjust to different umpires and international sport is all about making those adjustments and getting on with it."
England coach Sue Hawkins described her side's performance as "absolutely sensational".
"The defence lifted and the team had moments when they were in and out of the game but they when it counted, they stood up and delivered."
Hawkins attributed the turnaround by her players to a "strong self-belief and knowing that they could do a lot better than what they did on Monday night".
The third and final test will be played in Palmerston North on Saturday.
- NZPA
