Poms crash party
Red-hot favourites bow out in classic gold medal match-up
ENGLAND produced one of the great boilovers of the Commonwealth Games with a thrilling last-second 52-51 win over Australia in netball’s pulsating, pressure-packed gold medal match.
Goalshooter Helen Housby hit the winner as time expired to hand England a remarkable victory in its first appearance in a Commonwealth Games decider. Scores were level with 15 seconds left with England in possession
but goal attack Jo Harten missed her shot at the matchwinner.
Housby got the rebound but missed her shot at glory.
It looked like the netball title was going into extra-time for the third time in Commonwealth
Games history.
However, Housby received a penalty and another shot at goal and made no mistake, sending the English team into raptures and the Diamonds into the depths of despair.
A devastated Caitlin Bassett praised England’s tenacity and hunger in the gold medal match.
“Obviously pretty gutted. It does not feel real. Obviously, we had an amazing one coming into this game, such an amazing team,” Bassett said. “Credit to England, they were physical ... something Australia is known for. They did a good job of smothering us. It’s not failure to us and it’s not going to define us.”
England had nothing to lose coming up against the red-hot home nation and it took the fight up to the Aussies in the tradition of Commonwealth Games gold medal matches.
It was another edge-ofthe-seat affair with the sides going toe-to-toe for the full 60 minutes and the weight of the world on every shot and every pass.