Jhaniele Fowler scored 57 goals as Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls defeated England’s Roses 63-53 for a consolation victory in the England Roses Vitality Series that concluded on Sunday.
England coming off their dominating 66-47 victory over Jamaica on Saturday, seemed to play with lesser intensity as Jess Thirlby experimented with her line up starting Laura Malcolm at centre and later bringing Georgina Fisher into the attack.
Notwithstanding those changes, Jamaica played much better than in their two previous matches, successfully getting their passes into Fowler, who only missed three shots in the game. Shanice Beckford scored five of her eight attempts at goal.
For England, Fisher scored 21 of 24, Helen Housby 15 of 17 and Eleanor Cardwell 14 of 16 and were the primary scorers in the loss.
Jamaica led 14-11 at the end of the first quarter and extended the lead to 32-24 at half-time thanks in large part to the defensive work of Shamera Sterling, who was outstanding in disrupting England’s attack and was named MVP.
It was through her work alongside Kadie-Ann Dehaney that saw Jamaica extend their lead in the second quarter. England, however, would rally in the third quarter when they tied the Sunshine Girls’ 16-16 to keep the lead at eight going into the final quarter.
However, the visitors, desperate to take something away from the series, managed to regain their composure and held on for the confidence-boosting victory.
Jamaica started with Fowler, Shanice Beckford, Khadijah Williams, Adean Thomas, Latanya Wilson, Shamera Sterling and Kadie-Ann Dehaney. Thomas suffered what appeared to be an ankle injury early in the game and was helped off the court but later returned to help her team to the win.
Leighton Levy is a journalist with 28 years’ experience covering crime, entertainment, and sports. He joined the staff at SportsMax.TV as a content editor two years ago and is enjoying the experience of developing sports content and new ideas. At SportsMax.tv he is pursuing his true passion - sports.
Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard leads West Coast Fever to dominant 81-56 win over Sunshine Coast Lightning: Samantha Wallace powers Swifts to victory over Mavericks
In a spectacular display of dominance, Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard delivered an outstanding performance, scoring 63 goals to lead the West Coast Fever to a resounding 81-56 victory over the Sunshine Coast Lightning in their Suncorp Super Netball League home opener on Saturday night.
The Fever continued their winning streak, extending their record to two wins without dropping a single quarter in their opening games. On the other hand, the Sunshine Coast Lightning, considered premiership favorites, faced a challenging defeat at the hands of the Fever.
Fowler-Nembhard's remarkable accuracy was on full display, with the Jamaican shooter missing just two shots throughout the match. Despite the Lightning's best efforts, including strong defensive play from Courtney Bruce against her former team, Fowler-Nembhard proved unstoppable.
The game started with a flurry of action, as Fowler-Nembhard quickly secured the Fever's first two goals. However, the Lightning fought back to even the scores after trailing early. The Fever's defensive unit applied intense pressure, disrupting the Lightning's attacking combinations, especially after Cara Koenen (21/25) replaced Steph Fretwell in the shooting circle.
As the match progressed into the second quarter, the Fever steadily increased their lead, capitalizing on turnovers and defensive stops. Shanice Beckford's (8/11) pivotal role in the midcourt enabled Fowler-Nembhard to find space and capitalize on scoring opportunities.
The Lightning faced setbacks with Fretwell exiting the court due to an ankle injury, further impacting their offensive flow. Despite efforts to close the gap, the Lightning struggled to contain the Fever's relentless attack.
In the third quarter, the Fever maintained their control, with Beckford and Fowler-Nembhard continuing to dominate in the shooting circle. The Lightning, needing super shots to narrow the deficit, fell short against the Fever's strong defensive presence.
The fourth quarter saw a determined Lightning side trying to stage a comeback, led by Courtney Bruce's defensive efforts. However, the Fever's consistent scoring and strategic play extended their lead further.
With 10 minutes remaining, Lightning coach Belinda Reynolds called for a tactical timeout, urging her team to take risks and reduce the deficit. Despite their efforts, the Fever's relentless performance and precise shooting ultimately secured them a commanding 25-goal victory.
Over at the Ken Roswell Arena, Trinidad and Tobago’s Samantha Wallace-Joseph scored was perfect from the field, scoring 37 goals in the New South Wales Swifts 67-56 win over the Melbourne Mavericks.
Meanwhile, defending champions, Adelaide Thunderbirds suffered a narrow 54-53 loss to Melbourne Vixens despite an impressive 28 goals from just 30 attempts from Romelda Aiken-George.
John Mitchell: England motivated to fill Twickenham with captivating displays
England ran riot against Ireland with head coach John Mitchell revealing their pivot to an all-action attack is designed to fill Twickenham.
A crowd of 48,778 watched the Red Roses plunder 14 tries in an 88-10 victory that keeps them on course to win a sixth successive Guinness Women’s Six Nations title when they face France in a likely Grand Slam decider next weekend.
Unstoppable wing Abby Dow and player of the match Ellie Kildunne completed hat-tricks, but there were fireworks across the field as England delivered on their promise to put on a show.
Their ultimate aim is to run out at next year’s home World Cup in front of a sold-out Twickenham and Mitchell insisted that can only be achieved by captivating audiences with a style of play no longer based on forward dominance.
“The girls presented a performance that went up a gear. We asked that of them during the week and they certainly delivered it,” the Kiwi said.
“We’ve got a drive to fill the stadium on a consistent basis because we want to play here consistently.
“If we can continue to produce performances like that it won’t be too long before we do fill all the seats. From that point of view, it’s only that style of rugby that will bring people to watch us.
“We know we have other strengths as well, but this is a good sign and we’re only in the infancy of it.
“It’s a testament to the girls because they go out and own it and see the rewards from it.”
England have amassed 228 points after four rounds of the Six Nations, conceding only 20, and the lopsided scoreline at Twickenham is an ugly look for the competition.
“I’m sure some people will chat about the competitiveness, but at the end of the day we drive ourselves in the way we prepare and that’s all we can focus on,” Mitchell said.
“We’re not really in a position to judge the competition or its competitiveness. Our standards in the way we prepare have gone up a little bit in terms of level.”
Ireland head coach Scott Bemand admitted his side were left “shell-shocked” by the game’s dominant force.
“Tough day at the office. We came up against the market leaders but we’ll dust ourselves down and come back next week,” he said.
“This was a big game for a youthful group. Could we have predicted a margin like that? Probably not.”
Jamaica's Sterling-Humphrey et al on the losing end of two thrilling Suncorp Super Netball encounters
Despite spirited efforts, Jamaica’s players Latanya Wilson, Shamera Sterling-Humphrey, Romelda Aiken-George and Jodi-Ann Ward were on the losing end in second round action of the Suncorp Super Netball League at John Cain Arena, on Saturday.
Aiken-George scored 28 goals from 30 attempts, while Wilson and Sterling-Humphrey were resolute in defence, but it wasn’t enough to stop Adelaide Thunderbirds going down 53-54 to Melbourne Vixens in a nail-biting encounter.
Georgie Horjus, with 16 goals from 17 attempts was the next best scorer for the Thunderbirds, while Keira Austin (31 goals from 33 attempts) and Sophie Garbin (23 goals from 24 attempts) got the job done for the Vixens.
It was an intense battle from the opening whistle, with both teams gunning for their second win of the season. The Adelaide Thunderbirds’ defence caused havoc for the Vixens, as Wilson forced the first turnover of the match with her quick closing speed. Alongside compatriot Sterling-Humphrey, the defensive duo brought immense pressure early into the Vixens’ attacking front.
However, Austin signalled fearlessness to take aim from anywhere, as she scored two consecutive super shots to put Vixens 14-11 up at the end of the first quarter.
Thunderbirds used the full prowess of their bench in the second quarter, with wing attack Laura Scherian and goal attack Horjus adding impetus to their charge, but the Vixens kept their noses in front at 27-25 at the half-time break.
Both sides showed more urgency in the third quarter where they matched each other goal-for-goal, before the electrifying Sterling-Humphrey made some crucial interceptions that saw Thunderbirds opening a three-goal lead at 34-34. But a string of super shots off the hot hands of Garbin and Austin, ensured the teams headed into the final quarter locked at 40-40.
From there, the Vixens displayed their clinical experience to not only surge ahead, but also expertly ran down the clock before handing off the ball to Austin who sunk the winning goal in the final seconds of the hard-fought match.
Meanwhile, Ward and her GIANTS team suffered a 62-65 loss to Queensland Firebirds in another thrilling contest at Ken Rosewall Arena.
Donnell Wallam, with 55 goals from 60 attempts, and Tippah Dwan, with 10 goals from 12 attempts, led the way for the Firebirds. GIANTS got their goals from Jo Harten (33 goals from 35 attempts) and Sophie Dwyer (29 goals from 29 attempts).
From the opening whistle, the Firebirds displayed masterful finesse, leaving the GIANTS struggling to keep pace with their savvy and patient play. Firebirds came out firing on all cylinders, as Wallam's prolific scoring spree put them firmly in control 21-11 at the end of the first quarter.
Ward came out worse in a collision with Lara Dunkley, which caused more problems for the GIANTS as they struggled to regain their stride in the match.
Though the GIANTS clawed their way back with the introduction of Sam Winders into the fray, they were still four goals down at 36-32 at half-time.
However, a fired-up GIANTS took the game to the Firebirds, some crucial defensive efforts from Winders and Ward brought the team to life with flashes of brilliance, but consistency eluded them and, as such, Firebirds, ended the third quarter seven points ahead at 51-44.
Despite the GIANTS' resilience and Ward's pivotal turnover and subsequent conversion by Harten, the Firebirds remained composed under pressure and secured their maiden triumph in the 2024 campaign.
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