In a thrilling match, England successfully turned the tables to defeat South Africa 58-54, earning a spot in the netball semi-finals at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Both teams needed a win to advance to the last four, and England managed to overcome an early 17-11 deficit after the first quarter to keep their hopes of a second Commonwealth gold alive.
The Vitality Roses are set to face New Zealand in the second semi-final on Saturday, following the match between Australia and Jamaica, with the gold and bronze-medal matches scheduled for Sunday. Captain Francesca Williams praised Halimat Adio, saying, 'She was incredible in that second quarter. I'm so proud of her for bringing us that energy and getting us back in the game when we needed it.' England had a shaky start as South Africa's goal shooter Elmere van der Berg scored 16 goals from 19 attempts, silencing the crowd at the OVO Hydro. However, the introduction of Halimat Adio and Funmi Fadoju tightened up England's defense, shifting the momentum of the match and allowing them to trail by just one point at half-time.
England gained momentum in the third quarter, scoring five consecutive goals to take a 35-30 lead, and maintained a 45-41 advantage going into the last quarter. As the clock ticked down, England calmly preserved their slender four-goal lead, with Olivia Tchine and Lois Pearson showing composure up front to secure the win for Anna Stembridge's side. Stembridge took over as head coach just four months before the Commonwealth Games, following Jess Thirlby's resignation. Despite netball being part of the Commonwealth Games since 1998, England has never won a medal when the event has been held in the UK.
The upcoming matches are scheduled as follows: Saturday, August 1, 9am: New Zealand vs England (semi-final 1), 1pm: Australia vs Jamaica (semi-final 2), and Sunday, August 2, 9am: Bronze medal match, 1pm: Gold medal match.