England fell narrowly short against Australia at the Copper Box Arena in London as they lost 50-46 in their second Quad Series match.
England opted to name the same starting seven which helped beat New Zealand 64-57 on Saturday while the visitors made changes, with Caitlin Bassett a notable starter after their own 54-50 victory over South Africa.
A number of unconverted turnover opportunities in the first half threatened to see Australia race into an insurmountable lead, but a stirring second-half response brought England back into the game. The two sides went goal-for-goal in the final 15 minutes but, with the clock ticking down, it was Australia who managed to control the tempo and stifle the home side to see out the win.
England created several opening to take charge in the opening quarter with the defensive unit forcing several steals and tips but were unable to capitalise. In contrast, Australia were ruthless with their chances and took a 16-11 lead.
With momentum still evading the home side, Eboni Beckford-Chambers and Natalie Haythornthwaite were introduced to the fray. A nine-goal deficit was reduced to seven before the half-time whistle with England keeping themselves in the game. A show of ill-discipline from the world champions afforded England the chance to close the gap further. A run of five straight goals had the home fans in excellent voice and England finished the third quarter 37-34 down.
With the match remaining on centre-pass with less than 10 minutes on the clock, England needed to find a spark. It was provided with an exceptional retrieval from behind the back line from the newly introduced Eleanor Cardwell. Waiting for the pass was Helen Housby and she netted to keep the game in the balance.
The tension finally told as a pass in mid-court was fired wide by England and Australia finished the turnover with composure. Despite a late converted turnover of their own, England were unable to force additional time as Australia ran down the clock.
The teams now head to South Africa with England’s last fixture in the Quad Series coming up on Sunday afternoon against the host nation – their final international before the Commonwealth Games in April.
