Silver Ferns off to a winning start in Christchurch
The Silver Ferns put a disjointed preparation behind them to open the three-Test Cadbury Netball Series with a satisfying 48-42 win over the England Roses in Christchurch on Monday.
With the world champion Silver Ferns having the better of the first half, England, the Commonwealth Games champions, delivered a strong second half to keep the contest in the balance.
Scoring the first three goals of the final stanza, England drew level early on but with defensive duo Sulu Fitzpatrick and Karin Burger rising to the challenge, the Silver Ferns kept the visitors at bay in what is shaping as a tight series with the next matches being played on Wednesday and Friday.
It was a disrupted build-up for both with England coming out of quarantine 10 days ago and the Silver Ferns only having four days together after their four Auckland-based players were granted exemptions to take part in the series.
One of those was captain Gina Crampton, who had an anxious wait before getting the green light to lead the women in black for the first time, in a series closed to the public and to be played under strict Covid-19 Alert Level 2 protocols.
After a standout domestic season, Tiana Metuarau, 20, became Silver Fern #178 when making her debut against the country of her birth, getting the nod in the starting line-up at goal attack.
After making her debut earlier this year, livewire midcourter Maddy Gordon got her second outing for the Silver Ferns when making the starting seven at wing defence while Kelly Jury took on the in-circle defensive duties with Burger.
Stacked with experience, the visitors welcomed the return of well-performed defensive trio Beth Cobden, Layla Guscoth and Geva Mentor to England colours.
With both sides taking time to find their feet, England impressed with their intent on attack, quick ball release and perfect placement to shooter Eleanor Cardwell, who showed great accuracy, and helping them gain momentum.
The Silver Ferns slowly found their links on attack in a tightly-contested opening stanza, keeping their noses just in front to take a narrow 12-11 lead into the first break.
Assertive defensive play where Jury was prominent in peeling off a number of deflections handed the Silver Ferns more opportunities and more impetus on the resumption.
Unfazed by the occasion, Metuarau was a polished presence when sinking nine from nine shots for the first half, engaging effectively with clever offloads to her shooting partner Maia Wilson while also doing her bit on defence.
England’s defensive line had its moments with Guscoth picking up four intercepts during the first half while Cardwell was a rock under the visitor’s hoop. The introduction of prolific shooter George Fisher, who made such an impression during the ANZ Premiership, five minutes before the break, held plenty of promise for England when they trailed 26-21 at halftime.
Claire Kersten and newly-minted vice-captain Fitzpatrick were introduced for the Silver Ferns at centre and goalkeeper respectively on the resumption while Imogen Allison came on at wing defence for the Roses.
England showed the better intent to marginally hold the edge through the third stanza, their energy and accuracy creating some anxious moments for the Silver Ferns.
The pinpoint shooting of Fisher kept England well in the contest while the defensive efforts of Allison, Guscoth and Mentor put the brakes on the Silver Ferns flow.
The new-look shooting combination of Wilson and Metuarau showed plenty of patience to work the ball into positions of advantage but they were made to work hard by a rejuvenated England who trimmed the Silver Ferns lead to 37-33 at the last turn.