Blue & Gold stars help England Roses secure semi-final spot at 2019 Netball World Cup with victory over Trinidad & Tobago
England clinched their place in the 2019 Netball World Cup semi-finals with a game to spare after beating Trinidad & Tobago 72-46 in Liverpool on Wednesday afternoon.
Team Bath Netball’s Serena Guthrie and Eboni Usoro-Brown started once again as the Roses recorded a fifth win from as many games in the tournament, guaranteeing a top-two finish in Group G and a semi-final on Saturday against either defending champions Australia or New Zealand.
They – along with former Team Bath players Geva Mentor and Rachel Dunn – helped England quickly take control of the game and open up a 20-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
England Head Coach Tracey Neville took the opportunity to switch players around during the second quarter, with Usoro-Brown taking a break and Roses captain Guthrie moving from C to WD before being rested just before half-time.
Trinidad & Tobago closed the gap to three at one point before the Roses regained their rhythm and opened up a 40-22 lead at the interval.
Usoro-Brown came on at GK for the third quarter and produced a couple of interceptions that had the sell-out home crowd on their feet as England extended their advantage to 56-33.
Guthrie also returned at WD for the final seven minutes of the match as England saw out the victory.
England’s opponents in the last four will be determined after the final round of group games on Thursday. Australia and New Zealand meet at 10.30am to decide who will top Group F, while the Roses take on South Africa at 8pm.
