England beat Jamaica to take 1-0 lead in series

England sealed a comprehensive 55-47 victory over Jamaica in the second match of the Horizon series.

With the score tied at 24-24 at half-time in the Manchester meeting, the hosts pulled away in the second half to clinch the first win of the four-match series in front of a buoyant crowd.

The Roses will take a 1-0 lead to Jamaica after the Sunshine Girls scored in the last second to snatch a thrilling 49-49 draw in Saturday’s opening match.

“To come back out and be able to elevate our performance from yesterday in lots of areas is pleasing,” said head coach Jess Thirlby.

“Definitely more pleased with the way we managed ourselves through the game. If we win the next game we win the series so that’s a motivator in itself.”

The return matches will take place in the Jamaican capital Kingston on 25 and 26 November and will be available to watch live on the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website and app.

“Most of these girls haven’t played in Jamaica so the whole environment is going to be unrecognisable for them,” added Thirlby.

“It’s a carnival over there. The Jamaicans will elevate their performance purely based on that.”

England started brightly but, much like in the opening match, there was sloppiness from both sides in a low-scoring quarter which finished 12-9.

With less than 24 hours between the two matches, the Roses repeated the same mistakes, working tirelessly to win back the ball but failing to convert it into a goal.

They lost their way towards the end of the second period and trailed by two, but Helen Housby calmly slotted in to level the score at the break.

England were again stilted in attack and Thirlby made changes in the third quarter, moving Housby to shooter and repositioning Lois Pearson at goal attack.

The changes had the desired effect as they found a clearer route to goal and built a seven-goal lead midway through the third period, before the visitors battled back and quickly closed the gap to four heading into the final quarter.

England were patient in a physical final period and, after Thirlby highlighted game management as something her side needed to work on following Saturday’s tie, the Roses were smarter with the ball and kept their composure to extend their lead.

Player of the match Funmi Fadoju proved once again why she is one of England’s most exciting young talents as the 22-year-old made a number of crucial interceptions to keep her side in front.

“We admire everything Funmi can do and she is super hard on herself, so the scary thing is that we still feel there’s more to come,” said Thirlby.

“She’s a beautiful soul to have in the team, as much as an incredible athlete, and we’re very lucky to have her.”

Before this series, Jamaica had not played a full international test match since the 2023 World Cup, and they could not find the extra to overcome the deficit this time.