England put themselves in pole position for a World Cup semi-final and underlined their title hopes by beating world no 2 side Jamaica 56-48 in their toughest test of the Vitality Netball World Cup to date.

The Roses overcame an early shaky performance under the post, and a deficit for the first time in the tournament, to eventually see off a Jamaica team who now face an uphill battle to make the last four and are relying on other results to go their way.

The game was always going to represent England’s toughest task so far, and even more so after the Sunshine Girls were beaten by South Africa in Sunday night’s thriller, a result that means the Proteas carry their points through to this second preliminary phase.

And Tracey Neville’s players were pushed to the limit in a physical encounter that will stand the Roses in good stead for the remainder of their games in the second phase and their ultimate goal, the semi-final and finals this weekend.

Jamaica rallied from a slow start to take the league midway through the second quarter, inspired by shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Reid who went on to register a 100 per cent record under the post.

But an awesome showing in the third quarter, inspired by Geva Mentor and Serena Guthrie, proved decisive for England as their speed of play forced Jamaican errors that were punished by a Jo Harten-Helen Housby combination, who found their range when it mattered most.

Having powered away in the final 15 minutes, the Roses get their first day off on Tuesday as they prepare for games against Trinidad & Tobago and South Africa.

Source: Read Full Article