England began their Vitality Netball Nations Cup campaign with a convincing 62-36 win against Malawi on the opening day.
It was a spirited start from England, ranked world No 4, with player of the match Paige Reed making her impact felt immediately, as she opened the scoring on her debut.
Malawi, ranked seventh in the world, had never beaten England in 14 previous attempts but kept toe to toe with the hosts in the opening two quarters, at times capitalising on England’s tardiness in defence.
England captain Fran Williams made her presence felt as she came on at the start of the second half, injecting pace and experience into the side.
Vitality Roses captain Fran Williams says her side are looking to stamp their authority and lift the Nations Cup trophy as the tournament kicks off this Saturday on Sky Sports.
Reed was bolstered by Emma Thacker’s debut after Olivia Tchine suffered an ankle twist at the start of the third quarter.
Earlier in the day, world No 5 ranked South Africa dominated in their opener against Uganda, 75-40.
Uganda will take on Malawi on Sunday followed by England against South Africa.
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