New Zealand claim first spot in Sunday's NWYC2025 finals beating England

The semifinals of the Netball World Youth Cup arrived on Friday afternoon. After a week of matches, this was the critical stage for four contenders for the title. By the evening, two would be left reflecting on missed opportunities, while the other two would be preparing for Sunday’s big clash. Australia, New Zealand, England, and South Africa had reached the final four.

The prospect of a repeat of 2017, with Australia facing New Zealand, was still open. But so too was the chance for the two underdogs to break through, with Australia playing South Africa and New Zealand facing England.

The first semifinal saw New Zealand take on England at the Europa Sports Hall.

It was an open match midway through the first quarter, with England and New Zealand level at 6-6 and everything still to play for. The teams exchanged goals to reach 8-8 with five minutes remaining. England, who had never won the competition, were up against the defending champions and had a chance to open a two-goal lead but failed to capitalise on a turnover after going 9-8 ahead.

Among the spectators were Gibraltar’s U21s, taking the rare opportunity to watch two world-class teams in action. The significance was heightened by the fact that Gibraltar had already played against New Zealand, giving them a sense of what it was like to face such opposition.

The scores stayed level at 10-10 as England failed to take advantage of their possessions. New Zealand then took the lead for the first time at 11-10. A long ball, following a defensive recovery, extended their lead to 12-10. England were fortunate not to concede a third as the buzzer signalled the end of the first quarter.

New Zealand struck first in the second quarter, scoring within a minute, and quickly added another thanks to some sharp vision and movement. England responded calmly, reducing the margin, but New Zealand kept a three-goal cushion. Some solid defending from England cut the gap to 14-12, before they worked the ball patiently to close it further. New Zealand, however, answered with confident lobbed passes over the defence to restore their advantage.

England’s defence forced New Zealand into a held-ball error when they seemed set to stretch their lead. A contact call soon after also denied the Silver Ferns, though England failed to make the most of those chances. Their own mistakes proved costly, as New Zealand extended their lead to 19-15.

With eight minutes of the quarter gone, play was paused due to a blood rule incident. The player and ball were cleaned, and umpires checked all players and the court before resuming play. Although brief, the interruption disrupted England’s momentum and worked in New Zealand’s favour as they pushed the score to 22-16.

England’s Baron inspired a brief fightback with an intercept to cut the gap, but New Zealand maintained their composure to lead 24-20 at halftime. Both quarters finished 12-10 in New Zealand’s favour, the narrow difference keeping England just out of reach.

New Zealand showed discipline in difficult moments, always finding a way to stay ahead. The third quarter became crucial for England, who needed a strong push to stay alive. They responded well, cutting the deficit to 26-24, but defending their own goal proved equally important.

Every time England clawed back, New Zealand punished their risks, regaining a four-goal lead at 29-25. A scrappy tussle under the post gifted New Zealand another goal to make it 31-26, though England immediately replied. England’s strong defending then went unrewarded as a turnover at the top of the circle allowed New Zealand to extend their lead to 33-28.

England continued to press, but New Zealand’s compact, disciplined defence denied them rhythm. The Silver Ferns held a five-goal lead at 39-34, then accelerated with sharp passing and power plays, forcing England into a three-minute scoring drought. England capitalised on a New Zealand error to reduce the gap, but the Silver Ferns were ruthless in response, pushing to 44-38 before adding four more in a bruising, physical contest.

At 49-38, England showed signs of wear as the high pace and physical battles took their toll. New Zealand passed the 50-goal mark, but England refused to give in, cutting the margin to 50-47.

A technical issue with the scoreboard timing briefly disrupted the match, but the backup system ensured coaches and officials could track the clock. The spectators, however, were left guessing.

With two minutes remaining, England brought it back to 50-48. New Zealand scored, only for England to respond, and they pressed hard to steal possession from the Silver Ferns’ centre pass. But New Zealand held firm, protecting their slim advantage to win 51-49 and secure a place in the final.

England produced an impressive response and came agonisingly close to a comeback but will be left nursing the disappointment of falling short in yet another semifinal.

Images courtesy NWYC2025