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Netball: England gain Commonwealth Games revenge over New Zealand in Rotorua

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England claimed a small slice of revenge against New Zealand with a thrilling 42-38 victory

England gained sweet revenge over New Zealand for their Commonwealth Games heartbreak with a 42-38 win in the first match of their two-Test netball series in Rotorua.

When the pair last met in Glasgow, the result came down to the dying seconds, with the Silver Ferns nicking a dramatic one-goal victory to reach the final.

History threatened to repeat itself as the hosts battled back from ten goals behind to move to within one in the closing minutes.

But Anna Mayes' side, who were still smarting from their double defeat to top-ranked Australia, produced a composed and mature performance to silence the home crowd.

A late turnover helped them eventually see out the match by four goals as they secured just their fourth victory over the Kiwis in more than 50 years.

Jo Harten, who plies her trade for New Zealand side Waikato Magic, showed superb shooting accuracy in netting 30 from 36 while captain Jade Clarke was influencial throughout and Geva Mentor and Eboni Beckford-Chambers were outstanding in circle defence.

England led 14-9 at the first break and then 22-17 at halftime. Their impressive defensive work continued to force errors as they opened up a comfortable 34-27 lead heading into the final quarter.

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The Ferns launched a late comeback to trail by one with two minutes remaining but the tourists rallied to wrap up the win and enjoy a little piece of history as well as a small slice of revenge.

England play the second Test match with New Zealand on Friday, live on Sky Sports 2 from 6am (GMT).

Buy tickets to watch England face Malawi this December, head to http://tickets.sky.com/Netball/ for more details.

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