New Zealand 42
England 40
New Zealand survived a fourth-quarter implosion to secure a scratchy 42-40 win over England in the first netball test in Manchester this morning.
In their first match since winning gold at the Commonwealth Games in October, the Silver Ferns had looked comfortable for much of the match, leading 22-17 at halftime before blowing a 10-goal lead early in the final spell.
Both teams looked rusty, but it was the New Zealanders who started the stronger, streaking away to a 5-0 lead before the English managed to get the ball through the hoop.
There was a distinctly makeshift look about the Silver Ferns, who were already missing midcourter Grace Rasmussen after she failed to recover from injury.
Central Pulse midcourter Camilla Lees was called into the side as cover, then elevated to the starting seven after Liana Leota (nee Barrett-Chase) suffered a calf strain in training two days ago.
Centre Temepara George also missed the trip to England, given time to recover from ankle surgery.
The first quarter was patchy, passages of good play from both teams interspersed by plenty of turnover.
The New Zealanders, however, proved more effective on transition and made the most of the space England allowed them in the attacking third.
In contrast, the English timing on attack suffered as they tried to force the pace of the game, Tamsin Greenway at wing attack and young centre Sarah Bayman struggling to find a way to shooters Jo Harten and Pam Cookey.
The New Zealand midcourt was looking assured, Lees gradually growing in confidence and in tandem with wing attack Laura Langman providing some nice ball into Maria Tutaia and Irene van Dyk.
However, England battled back and three-goal run right on the whistle cut back the Silver Ferns lead to 11-7 at the end of the first quarter.
And although New Zealand managed to maintain momentum in the second quarter, it was the wealth of possession which kept the Silver Ferns in front as both Tutaia and van Dyk struggled with their accuracy.
Much of the credit for that could to the new combination of veteran defender Sonia Mkoloma and young newcomer Eboni Beckford-Chambers who kept constant pressure on the ball in the circle.
At the halftime break, the Silver Ferns led 22-17 in a relatively low-scoring affair, but their shooting percentage was a woeful 63 per cent.
England, on the other hand, had missed only two goals in the entire 30 minutes and were shooting at 90 per cent, but couldn't find any rhythm and struggled for every scrap of possession through the midcourt.
Coach Ruth Aitken rang the changes at the break, bringing in the versatile Anna Thompson at wing attack for Lees, and moving Langman back to her customary centre role.
New Zealand lost nothing in the defensive circle, as Katrina Grant replaced Leana de Bruin at goal keep.
The third quarter saw some solid work from the New Zealanders, as they worked hard to secure possession, controlling the tempo of the game to lead 34-27 with 15 minutes remaining.
The final spell saw New Zealand leading 37-27 early on, but England tightened up through the midcourt, worked hard on defence and just ran out of time as they zeroed in an unlikely victory.
The Silver Ferns' accuracy in the circle, at 71 per cent for the match, was sub-par compared to England's excellent 93 per cent, but there was no doubting the New Zealanders' grit in grinding out the win.
The last time the two teams met was in pool play at the New Delhi Commonwealth Games, when England forced the Silver Ferns to work hard for a 47-41 win.
England have won just three times against New Zealand since 1963, the last two victories coming in 2007 and 2008. When they last played in England, in October 2009, New Zealand were forced into extra time before edging away to a six-goal win.
Today, however, the English just lacked the consistency to overcome a distinctly below-par New Zealand.
The second test is scheduled for Nottingham on Tuesday, followed by the third in London on Thursday.
- NZPA
