Jamaica stun Australia as England miss out on Commonwealth Games netball final

Jamaica are done to the Commonwealth netball last aft defeating defending champions Australia successful 1 of the biggest surprises successful the sport’s history.

In the champion crippled of the tourney by far, Australia scored 3 goals to trim Jamaica’s pb to 1 with 36 seconds remaining.

But successful beforehand of a near-capacity assemblage astatine the Hydro that included William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales, Sophie Dwyer missed a three-foot changeable to level for Australia aft the siren.

It meant the ‘Sunshine Girls’ clung connected for a daze 46-45 win. And that Australia had failed to scope the last for the archetypal clip since netball was introduced to the Games successful 1998.

Earlier England’s hopes of golden were dashed successful a 61-54 decision to New Zealand that was acold much broad than the scoreline suggests.

Grace Nweke dominated the lucifer to steer New Zealand into the last with triumph against England. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

The Silver Ferns went into the semi-final without defender Catherine Hall, who ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament successful her genu against Wales. However their influential extremity onslaught Georgia Heffernan, who suffered an ankle wounded against Wales, was capable to play done the pain.

And portion she scored 9 goals from 10 attempts and provided 15 extremity assists, it was the Silver Ferns’ Grace Nweke who dominated the match. England simply had nary reply to the 6ft 4in extremity shooter, who finished with 52 goals from 57 attempts.

New Zealand volition present play Jamaica successful Sunday’s final. Meanhile England volition look Australia successful the bronze medal match.

Eleanor Cardwell, who was portion of the England squad that mislaid the bronze medal lucifer to the Silver Ferns successful 2022, stressed the value of refocusing connected Sunday’s lucifer against Australia.

“I don’t privation that feeling again,” said Cardwell. “I deliberation that’s going to adhd other substance to the fire. We request to truly privation it tomorrow, and I cognize we truly privation it, we privation to travel distant with a medal.

“Obviously, the bronze isn’t each we wanted, but that’s the 1 that we are going to combat for now. We’ve got to spell back, retrieve well, and person the speech astir what we’re going to bash tomorrow.”