Netball World Cup 2015: Scores, Results, Fixtures, Draw After Tuesday's Action
After a strong start in the preliminary rounds, England lost their first match of the 2015 Netball World Cup on Tuesday, dropping a 51-41 result to hosts and defending world champions Australia.
Several top matches were on the schedule for the first day of the qualification rounds, with New Zealand beating Jamaica 55-48 and South Africa ending Wales' winning streak in a 68-40 thrashing.
Here's a look at the full results from Tuesday, as well as updated standings and Wednesday's fixtures:
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
| Tuesday, August 11 | F | Australia 51-41 England |
| Tuesday, August 11 | E | New Zealand 55-48 Jamaica |
| Tuesday, August 11 | H | Barbados 34-37 Scotland |
| Tuesday, August 11 | G | Samoa 46-39 Singapore |
| Tuesday, August 11 | G | T&T 66-39 Zambia |
| Tuesday, August 11 | F | South Africa 68-40 Wales |
| Tuesday, August 11 | E | Malawi 59-53 Uganda |
| Tuesday, August 11 | H | Sri Lanka 31-77 Fiji |
| Wednesday, August 12 | G | T&T vs. Singapore |
| Wednesday, August 12 | H | Barbados vs. Fiji |
| Wednesday, August 12 | H | Scotland vs. Sri Lanka |
| Wednesday, August 12 | G | Samoa vs. Zambia |
| Wednesday, August 12 | F | England vs. Wales |
| Wednesday, August 12 | E | New Zealand vs. Malawi |
| Wednesday, August 12 | F | Australia vs. South Afrca |
| New Zealand | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 114.6 | 2 |
| Malawi | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 113.2 | 2 |
| Uganda | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 89.8 | 0 |
| Jamaica | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 87.3 | 0 |
| South Africa | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 170.0 | 2 |
| Australia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 124.4 | 2 |
| England | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 80.4 | 0 |
| Wales | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 58.8 | 0 |
| Trinidad & Tobago | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 169.2 | 2 |
| Samoa | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 117.9 | 2 |
| Singapore | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 84.8 | 0 |
| Zambia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 59.1 | 0 |
| Fiji | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 248.3 | 2 |
| Scotland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 108.8 | 2 |
| Barbados | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 91.9 | 0 |
| Sri Lanka | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 40.3 | 0 |
All information courtesy of the event's official website, which you can access by clicking here.
Recap
Defending champions Australia put their shock defeat at the hands of New Zealand behind them with a 51-41 win over England on Tuesday, dominating the match from start to finish. Caitlin Bassett scored early and often as the Diamonds built a three-goal lead in the opening minutes, and the Roses never seemed likely to recover.
England have struggled with their buildup play throughout the tournament, and against a defence as skilled at reading passing lanes as Australia's, that's asking for trouble. Julie Corletto, playing in her 50th Test, came up with plenty of interceptions like this, per the event's official Twitter account:
To their credit, the English side continued to battle, and their shooters were efficient with the ball inside the Australian half. The Roses actually led the match in shooting percentage throughout the first half, but they just couldn't work the ball around fast enough.
Corletto and Bassett shared their thoughts on the Diamonds' big win:
The loss doesn't have to doom England's chances, but the Roses will have to win their last two matches of the qualification rounds in order to progress to the semi-finals. South Africa have grown tremendously during the tournament, evidenced by their big win over Wales, and both opponents will give the Roses a tough match.
At half-time, the fifth-ranked South Africans were already up by 10 goals, and they continued their excellent performance with a dominant 24-8 run in the third quarter.
Should England qualify for the semi-finals, a date with New Zealand seems likely. The Silver Ferns won the top clash in Pool E on Tuesday, coming from behind to beat Jamaica 55-48. It was undoubtedly one of the best matches of the tournament, as shared by Supersport's Motshidisi Mohono:
The two teams went back and forth until the start of the fourth quarter, when the unbeaten Silver Ferns finally managed to build a significant gap and cruise to a win in the final minutes. The Sunshine Girls actually led by three at half-time, powered by the incredible Romelda Aiken, who finished with 41 goals from 44 attempts.
New Zealand's speed made the difference, as the Silver Ferns won the turnover battle, but once again, their shooters struggled with efficiency. So far, the issue hasn't come back to haunt the Silver Ferns, but it's certainly worth keeping an eye on.
In the other match in Pool E, Malawi continued their unbeaten streak, beating Uganda 59-53. The Malawi Queens have shown the ability to grind out close-fought matches, and while Jamaica remain the favourites to finish Pool E in second place, the Sunshine Girls shouldn't underestimate their final two opponents of the qualification rounds.
Scotland beat Barbados 37-34 in Pool H, while Fiji crushed Sri Lanka 77-31. Trinidad & Tobago remain the favourites in Pool G after their 66-39 win over Zambia, with Samoa right behind them, beating Singapore 46-39.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
