England dominated Northern Ireland 83-34 on the opening day of the Netball pool stage at the Commonwealth Games, while Scotland fell to New Zealand.
The team secured a comfortable victory at The Hydro, with all 12 players featuring in a strong, confidence‑building performance.
Head coach Anna Stembridge’s side built an early 24-7 lead after the first quarter, which expanded to 41-18 at half‑time.
Jayda Pechova and captain Fran Williams were standout performers, complemented by solid partnerships among Lois Pearson, Sasha Glasgow and Liv Tchine.
Half‑time substitute Eleanor Cardwell top‑scored with 35 goals from 37 attempts, and the squad is now fully focused on the pivotal match against defending champions Australia scheduled for Sunday.
“Getting that first win and performance under our belts was important,” Stembridge said. “We’ll make sure we close the loop in our debrief and then turn our full focus to Australia tomorrow.”
“Australia are world No 1 for a reason, and we have a huge amount of respect for them,” she added.
“We feel well prepared and will be ready to respond to whatever tactics they bring. It’s exciting to think about the matchups and the challenges we can pose as well.
“Ultimately, you want to play against the best and coach against the best. Those are the opportunities that test you and help you improve.”
Vice‑captain Tchine noted, “It was great to see everyone putting into practice what we’ve been working on in training. Everyone came out and gave everything.
“I think we needed that. We played together well and got those first‑game nerves out of the way. Everyone knows what it’s like in that opening match, so now we’re ready to focus on Australia tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, Scotland opened their Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games campaign with a 74-44 defeat to New Zealand but will take confidence from facing lower‑ranked opposition in the remaining group matches.
Team England netball squad
Defence
Halimat Adio (28, London, London Pulse)
Francesca Williams (28, Reading, West Coast Fever)
Funmi Fadoju (23, Redbridge, London Pulse)
Jayda Pechova (21, Fleet, Nottingham Forest)
Midcourt
Imo Allison (28, Huddersfield, Queensland Firebirds)
Jess Shaw (30, Stockport, Loughborough Lightning)
Amy Carter (27, Nottingham, AO Manchester Thunder)
Nat Metcalf (33, Keighley, AO Manchester Thunder)
Attack
Sasha Glasgow (27, Moonta, Australia, West Coast Fever)
Liv Tchine (25, London, London Pulse)
Eleanor Cardwell (31, Blackpool, AO Manchester Thunder)
Lois Pearson (26, Bury, AO Manchester Thunder)
The Vitality Roses; England Netball’s senior team, are currently third in the World Netball world rankings.