Sunday 16 August 2015 09:48, UK
Tracey Neville guided England to a bronze medal at the Netball World Cup after a 66-44 win over Jamaica on Sunday.
England avenged their Commonwealth Games defeat to the Sunshine Girls at the same stage in 2014 with a convincing performance full of style.
But, like in their semi-final against New Zealand, the Roses were slow out of the blocks and their fourth-ranked rivals had a five-goal lead by the end of the first quarter.
Neville rung the changes at the break, bringing on veteran Sonia Mkoloma to counteract the height of Jamaican shooter Romelda Aiken.
The move proved decisive as 36-year-old Mkoloma, playing in her fourth Netball World Cup, inspired a defensive masterclass along with teammates Geva Mentor and Serena Guthrie and soon the turnovers going England's way.
It was down to Roses shooting partners Pamela Cookey and Jo Harten to finish the hard work of defense. Both had excellent games, Harten shooting 52/59 with Cookey at 14/18. Their accuracy meant England had switched the lead by 10 at half-time to be in front 28-25.
The fatigue of their tough semi-final against Australia began to show in the Jamaican legs as the match entered its final phases and England piled on the goals to make it 45-33 ahead of the final 15 minutes.
From then on, it was showboating for the Roses as they powered on to take the bronze by 22 goals.
The victory means England will remain the third best side in the world. The next Netball World Cup in four years' time will in held in Liverpool.
