England fall short of bronze after defeat to Australia at Commonwealth Games
England were beaten 68-50 by world number one Australia in the Commonwealth Games netball bronze medal match, a day after their semi-final loss to New Zealand.
England missed out on bronze at the Commonwealth Games after world number one Australia proved too strong, winning 68-50. The match came a day after England's frustrating semi-final defeat to New Zealand.
Australia, who had previously reached every Commonwealth final and won the tournament four times, were stunned by Jamaica on Saturday afternoon, giving them less time to recover for the bronze medal match than England.
The game started lively as England captain Fran Williams forced Australian shooter Kiera Austin to miss at 5-5, and Liv Tchine scored to give England the lead. England worked hard to shut down Australia's forward options, forcing them to play sideways, but the green and gold found their rhythm with devastating effect, overturning a 9-7 deficit to lead 19-11 after the first quarter.
England, who lost 66-47 to the same opponents in the pool stage, lacked impetus in the second period, showing signs of tired legs against the shooting partnership of Austin and Sophie Garbin. A loose pass from Williams went straight to Australia, allowing Austin to extend the gap to 28-16, and the margin stayed steady, with Australia leading 35-24 at half-time.
With Australia leading by 16 points in the third quarter, England brought on shooter Eleanor Cardwell for Tchine, and her presence helped the Roses score five without reply to trail 45-34, then 49-36 with 15 minutes left.
Bronze was not a medal Australia ever imagined they would play for, but they used the game to remind the world of their capability and why they have been feared opponents. In that respect, Stacey Marinkovich's Diamonds shone as ultimate professionals, and England again came up short against a top side, losing by one fewer point than in the pool match.
Jamaica, who have never won netball gold at the Games, will play two-time champions New Zealand in Sunday afternoon's gold-medal match.
