Skip to main content
Advertisement

England thrash Tonga to keep semi-final hopes alive

England beat Tonga 94-32 at the Hydro in Glasgow to set a new Commonwealth Games goals record and keep their semi-final hopes alive. Scotland narrowly lost to Jamaica, while Wales and Northern Ireland were eliminated.

·3 min read
Eleanor Cardwell, wearing England's red and white netball vest top, shooting a goal in the win over Tonga at the Commonwealth Games

England broke their Commonwealth Games record goals tally with a convincing 94-32 victory over Tonga. In a must-win Pool A game in their quest for a semi-final place, England raced into a 27-8 lead at the end of the first quarter and maintained their dominance throughout at the Hydro in Glasgow.

Knowing goal average and possibly goal difference could be crucial in the battle for a top-two spot, the 2018 champions were keen for a significant margin of victory. They did just that by surpassing their previous record of 89 goals in one game in the competition, set against Sri Lanka in 2002.

Goal shooter Eleanor Cardwell - one of only two members of the 12-player squad with Commonwealth Games experience - made sure England kept their foot on the gas with 54 goals from her 60 attempts. Meanwhile, goal attackers Sasha Glasgow (18) and Ella Clark (12) netted 30 times between them and Cardwell's second-quarter replacement Olivia Tchine chipped in with 10 goals.

Victory for England leaves them third in their pool but level on six points with South Africa and defending champions Australia, who face each other at 21:00 BST.

The Roses boosted their goal average to 1.74 and goal difference to 127, while South Africa's is 2.06 (GD 123) and Australia's is 1.99 (GD 116).

England will take on South Africa in a vital final group game in the race for the semi-final at 21:00 BST on Thursday.

Tonga, who have enjoyed a remarkable journey over the past 12 years to climb to eighth in the world rankings, are out of their first Commonwealth Games.

Advertisement

How did Scotland fare against Jamaica?

Scotland came agonisingly close to a huge upset in their Pool B game against Jamaica but fell just short, losing 45-43 in a thrilling contest.

Jamaica, who are ranked fourth in the world, beat Scotland 78-34 the last time they met at the Commonwealth Games in 2022.

Despite the fine margins, defeat for Scotland - ranked 10th - severely dented their hopes of reaching the last four.

They will need to beat Uganda by a big margin in their final game at 11:00 BST on Thursday and hope other results go their way to stand any chance of progressing.

Scotland are 10th in the world netball rankings

Nicole Dixon-Rochester of Jamaica gestures while under pressure from Hannah Leighton of Scotland during a pool match at the Commonwealth Games
Image caption, Scotland are 10th in the world netball rankings

What happened to Wales and Northern Ireland?

Wales are out after their 65-37 defeat on Wednesday evening by 2022 bronze medallists New Zealand, who secured their place in the last four.

Northern Ireland's 78-30 defeat by South Africa in Pool A on Tuesday consigned them to a fourth straight loss, with their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals already long gone.

This article was sourced from bbc

Advertisement

Related News