England Netball miss out on Commonwealth Games bronze

England's hopes at Commonwealth glory are at and end.

Anna Stembridge’s side had suffered a semi-final defeat by New Zealand less than 24 hours earlier and could not muster a repeat of their 2018 gold-medal heroics, as BBC Sport reported from a bruising encounter.

How England netball let bronze slip:

The Roses started brightly, with captain Fran Williams forcing Australia shooter Kiera Austin into an early miss, but the Diamonds soon found their rhythm, overturning a 9-7 deficit to lead 19-11 after a punishing first quarter.

Australia, themselves recovering from a shock semi-final loss to Jamaica, extended their advantage to 35-24 by half-time as England showed signs of tired legs.

England rallied briefly in the third quarter, with the introduction of shooter Eleanor Cardwell helping them score five without reply to close to 45-34.

But it was not enough against one of the sport’s most feared shooting partnerships in Austin and Sophie Garbin, who steered Stacey Marinkovich’s Diamonds home.

The result caps a frustrating tournament that mirrors England’s mixed summer of sport, with the Roses again coming up short against a top side.