England’s unlikely netball saviour

When England beat Australia last April to win gold at the Commonwealth Games for the first time, it sent shock waves through the netball world, said Liam Napier in The Guardian. The Australians are the giants of the sport: they have won 11 of the 14 World Cups that have taken place, and continue to top the world rankings. But in the Quad Series on Sunday, England proved that last year’s victory was “no fluke” by beating Australia 52-49. It wasn’t enough to win the tournament – Australia retained the trophy on goal difference – but it bodes well for the year ahead. England will host the World Cup this summer and, despite a disappointing defeat to South Africa last week, they are more than capable of triumphing.

At one point on Sunday, England were five goals down and staring at defeat, said Ben Bloom in The Daily Telegraph. But salvation came from an unexpected quarter. When Rachel Dunn was left out of the Commonwealth Games squad last year, it looked as if her international career was over. Yet when the 36-year-old shooter came on as a replacement, a quarter of the way into the match, the effect was “remarkable”: she was almost faultless, sinking 25 of her 26 shots. And at the other end of the court, the defence, led by the “immaculate” Geva Mentor, applied enormous pressure, robbing the Australians of possession again and again. It confirmed that this England team need “fear no one”.