CAPE TOWN: Sophie Garbin scored 27 goals as Australia extended their record number of netball World Cup titles to 12 with a commanding 61-45 victory over England in the final of the 2023 edition staged in Cape Town on Sunday (Aug 6).
It was a first appearance in the final for England after they stunned defending champions New Zealand 46-40 in Friday’s semi-final but they were outplayed by an Australian side that improved as the contest went on.
The score after the first quarter was 13-13 but Australia won each of the next three to romp to a comfortable victory in front of a sell-out crowd in the first netball World Cup staged on African soil.
“We are obviously gutted with a losing margin like that in our first final but such is the difference between seasoned finalists and a team in their first final,” England coach Jess Thirlby told the BBC.
“We are really grateful for the silver medal and over time I’m sure that it (the achievement) will sink in.”
England beat Australia 56-55 in the pool stage but could not repeat that performance in the decider.
Jamaica took the bronze medal with a 52-45 victory over New Zealand in the third-place play-off. The next World Cup will be staged in Sydney in 2027.
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