England completed a perfect three wins out of three games in their series against Uganda with a 64-51 victory at the Copper Box in London.
England were tested at times by the ‘She Cranes’ but there is a clear margin between the Roses, ranked fourth in the world and sixth-ranked Uganda.
The Roses had already secured the series on Saturday with a 53-45 win.
“This was the best game of the three,” said head coach Jess Thirlby, after Uganda got close in the third period.
“This is a less experienced team and it’s very early on in the World Cup year and this is exactly what we should be doing right now, exploring new talent coming through and existing talent that missed out on the Commonwealth Games.
“This has been a good measure of that and we’ve got a big task ahead now heading to Australia, so come the autumn and deeper into winter we will have learnt about this group heading into January,” she added.
Thirlby again fielded a young side, keen to test the depth at her disposal, but opted for a more experienced bunch to see out the final quarter after Uganda got to within five points in the third period.
Zara Everitt, Funmi Fadoju, Olivia Tchine and Alice Harvey all secured valuable minutes on court with Fadoju and Tchine in particular showing they have adapted quickly to international netball.
Shooter Tchine won player of the match and said it was “a dream come true” to earn her first Roses caps in the series.
“I’ve enjoyed every second of it. Being with the girls, it’s been amazing. Camp has been really hard but I’ve enjoyed it all. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.
“I’ve given my all, I have more to improve on and there’s so much more to come. To go to the World Cup would be another dream but right now I’m just trying to be a sponge and take it all in.”
More experienced Roses shooter Eleanor Cardwell was once again the focal point of the attack and her presence in the circle has been dominant throughout the series.
Next up for England is a trip to Australia in November with a slightly different squad to the one that faced Uganda, as Thirlby continues to work out her strongest 12 players before the 2023 World Cup in Cape Town.
Quarter-time scores
Q1: 17-11; Q2: 32-22; Q3: 45-40; Q4: 64-51.
Starting sevens
England: GK – Fadoju; GD – Williams; WD – Everitt; C – Malcolm; WA – Joseph; GA – Cardwell; GS – Tchine.
Uganda: GK – Kadondi; GD – Nampungu; WD – Namutebi; C – Baagala; WA – Nakanyike; GA – Eyaru; GS – Cholhok.
