England got their 2015 Netball World Cup campaign off to a flying start with a 60-19 success over Scotland in Sydney on Friday.
With a tougher test against Jamaica to come on Saturday, England established an early lead against their neighbours but only started to shake off the rust towards the end of the contest.
Jo Harten combined well with Pamela Cookey, the latter regularly finding space under the post to score as England ended the quarter 13-5 ahead. That was extended to 27-11 at the interval after good work from Sara Bayman.
In the buildup to the tournament, the head coach, Tracey Neville, had demanded versatility from her team and several had the chance to show this as more changes were made for the third quarter.
Bayman continued to pull the strings as the excellent England support in Sydney started to find their voice. With one quarter remaining, the Roses moved 42-17 ahead before pulling away to record a comfortable victory.
Jamaica’s comprehensive 90-44 win over Samoa earlier in the day means Saturday’s showdown is likely to decide the winner of Pool B.
