England’s Vitality Roses to host Jamaica in three-match series as part of Netball World Cup preparations | Netball News

England will play Jamaica in Manchester on January 11 before back-to-back games in London on January 14 and 15; Both sides are currently in the world’s top four; Netball World Cup to take place in South Africa next July and August

England will host Jamaica in a three-match series in January

The Vitality Roses will welcome Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls to England in the New Year for a three-match Test series as they continue their preparations for the Netball World Cup in South Africa next summer.

The series will get underway in Manchester at the AO Arena on Wednesday 11 January before the teams travel down to the Copper Box Arena in London for back-to-back games on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 January.

Jamaica are currently ranked third in the world, one place above England, after winning a historic silver medal at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

England lost all three matches in a series against Australia

This will be the first time the Vitality Roses have played in the North West of England since the 2019 Vitality Netball World Cup in Liverpool. It will also be the team’s first international match in Manchester since November 2016 when they also played Jamaica.

Vitality Roses head coach, Jess Thirlby, said: “We have had a number of great opportunities in the Autumn in quick succession, including our home series against Uganda, our first away series in Australia since 2018 and the exciting return of FAST5.

“All of these have enabled us to turn our attention firmly onto our ambition of next year’s World Cup with debutants and breakthrough performances which was exciting to see. Not only were all three events highly competitive, but they also showcased the strength of both our emerging and existing talent across the Roses programme.

“To have secured a home series against the hugely talented Sunshine Girls will provide us with the fierce competition needed as we head ever closer to the World Cup and will ensure we are best prepared for next summer.

“A Vitality Roses v Sunshine Girls clash never disappoints – the squad to take on the Jamaican team will be announced next month.”

David Parsons, performance director, added: “We’re delighted to be welcoming Jamaica back onto our shores in the New Year. As we saw at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Jamaica are a force to be reckoned with on the international stage and this is a great next step for us in our preparations for next summer.

“There was plenty to be positive about from the autumn internationals – it’s been great to see some of our younger players stepping up and showing maturity in the red dress, and this series with the Sunshine Girls will provide another opportunity for our squad to continue its development.”

The two sides last met in 2021 where the Vitality Roses came out on top with a 2-1 series win over the course of three matches, their first series win against the Sunshine Girls since 2013.