Tuesday 23 December 2014 14:39, UK
England beat Malawi 65-44 in their final international match of 2014.
The second instalment of the two-test series was on of the last chances for Anna Mayes' side to play world-class opposition before the start of next year's Netball World Cup in Sydney.
In a physical encounter at the Worcester Arena, the world No 5-ranked Malawi Queens put in a much stronger display than their first outing on English soil, at the Copper Box Arena on Wednesday.
From the whistle, Malawi looked fresher and showed more of the athleticism they displayed at this summer’s Commonwealth Games, but England broke the first centre-pass to take an early lead and didn't surrender it for the remainder of the match.
Rachel Dunn struggled at goal attack against the tight Queens defence in the first quarter, but shooter Jo Harten, voted Most Valuable Player of the series, was impressive with her long-range shooting and movement ball-side when needed. Meanwhile, Geva Mentor, making her 101st cap at goal-keeper, was dominant in the defensive circle, matching up to talented Malawi shooter Loreen Ngwira well.
England started the second quarter with a three-goal lead and co-captain Pam Cookey was brought on at goal attack, but having just returned from injury, she looked slightly off the mark, only shooting at 25 per cent. Despite the Surrey Storm shooter not quite hitting her range, Harten stepped up her game and movement around the circle to help pick up most of the goals.
Malawi centre Takondwa Lwazi lit up the mid-court with her lightning-quick pace and the entertaining Malawi team were competitive throughout. After a dynamic first half containing plenty of contact warnings for players on both sides, England went into the break 30-21 ahead.
A player-of-the-match performance from Tamsin Greenway, aided by the ever-present co-captain Jade Clarke at centre, sped up the transition through the mid-court, giving Harten more room to work the circle and more shooting opportunities in the third quarter. Harten rarely missed to extend England's lead by 18 goals going in to the final 15 minutes.
The goal attack position had troubled England all match and Cookey returned to the court for the final 15 minutes, but things continued to go against her as she was pulled up multiple times for contact offences. But Harten carried on netting the long shots, finishing with an average of 86 per cent and pushing England to the win.
You can watch live action from the Netball Superlegue with Sky Sports from January 2015.
