England level series with win over New Zealand

Helen Housby starred as England beat New Zealand 61-58 in a breathless second Test to draw their three-match series level.

Player of the match Housby, who has represented England since 2014, scored 23 points, including the first and last goals of the game at the Copper Box in London, while Olivia Tchine scored 38.

England fought back from trailing 29-27 at half-time to claim a narrow victory, winning by the same scoreline that five-time world champions New Zealand achieved against England in Saturday’s series opener.

“That was incredible, it was so so special,” said Housby.

“I thought we put out a pretty good performance yesterday considering it was our first game of the international season.

“But we went back to the drawing board, and you saw what we wanted to do.

“I’m proud of the girls. We showed a lot of discipline in the last five or 10 minutes, keeping the scoreboard ticking over – and a lot of maturity.”

Little separated the sides in a lively first quarter, which ended with the Silver Ferns holding a slender 13-12 lead.

Looking to build on their advantage in the second quarter, New Zealand opened up a four-goal lead. England fought back though were still outscored 16-15 in the second period to trail by two at the halfway stage.

But they turned things around in the third quarter, which they ended confidently with a 46-42 lead.

The Roses sustained the pressure this time – it had faltered after their stellar third-quarter performance against the Silver Ferns on Saturday. Another steal, this one by Housby, brought England head coach Jess Thirlby to her feet and, this time, the attack ended with a goal by Tchine.

With 13 seconds left on the clock, Housby netted the final goal of the game, inspiring a cheer from the home crowd which lasted until the buzzer.

“That’s the most composed I’ve seen us deep into a game of that context,” Thirlby said.

“Physically and psychologically we stood up much better today in the moments that we needed to.

“It wasn’t without its challenges but the fight and the way that they backed each other up in those closing stages was so impressive.”