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SportsEngland crush Northern Ireland 83-34, set sights on Australia
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England's netball team opened their Commonwealth Games campaign with a dominant 83-34 victory over Northern Ireland in Glasgow. The Roses led 24-7 after the first quarter and 41-18 at halftime, with all 12 players seeing court time. Half-time substitute Eleanor Cardwell top-scored with 35 goals from 37 shots. Head coach Anna Stembridge praised the performance and emphasized the team's focus on their upcoming match against defending champions Australia on Sunday. In the same pool, Scotland lost to New Zealand. The win builds confidence for England as they prepare to face the world number one ranked Australian team.
Source report
Image: England's Eleanor Cardwell scored 35 goals as the Roses swept to an 83-34 win over Northern Ireland
England thrashed Northern Ireland 83-34 on the opening day of the Netball pool stage at the Commonwealth Games, while Scotland were beaten by New Zealand.
England ran out comfortable winners at The Hydro, with all 12 players taking to the court in a confidence-building performance.
Head coach Anna Stembridge saw her side take a 24-7 lead at the first quarter break, which soon became 41-18 at half-time.
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Jayda Pechova and captain Fran Williams both impressed, while Lois Pearson, Sasha Glasgow and Liv Tchine linked up effectively.
Half-time substitute Eleanor Cardwell top-scored with 35 goals from 37 shots. The squad now turns its focus to the ultimate test against defending champions Australia on Sunday.
"Getting that first win and performance under our belts was important," said Stembridge. "We'll make sure we close the loop in our debrief and then turn our full focus to Australia tomorrow."
"Australia are world No. 1 for a reason, and we have a huge amount of respect for them," she continued.
"We feel well prepared and will be ready to respond to whatever tactics they bring. It's exciting to think about the matchups and the challenges we can pose as well.
"Ultimately, you want to play against the best and coach against the best. Those are the opportunities that test you and help you improve."
Vice-captain Tchine added: "It was great to see everyone putting into practice what we've been working on in training. Everyone came out and gave everything.
"I think we needed that. We played together well and got those first-game nerves out of the way. Everyone knows what it's like in that opening match, so now we're ready to focus on Australia tomorrow."
Source
SkySports | NewsWestern
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England Netball Crush Northern Ireland 83-34 at Commonwealth Games, Set Sights on Australia