Geva Mentor and Jo Harten to take six-month breaks from England netball

Mentor (left) and Harten (right) have won 253 England caps between them

England netball players Geva Mentor and Jo Harten are to take six-month breaks from the full-time Roses programme.

Goalkeeper Mentor, 35, and shooter Harten, 30, were both members of England's 2018 Commonwealth gold medal-winning squad.

They also helped England to World Cup bronze in Liverpool in July.

Earlier in October, captain Serena Guthrie also announced she was taking a break having suffered a bout of glandular fever before the World Cup.

"It has been a whirlwind four years for Geva and Jo," said Roses head coach Jess Thirlby.

"They both were pivotal in England's victory at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and were a part of the team that secured bronze at the Vitality Netball World Cup in July."

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Mentor and Harten both plan to play in the Suncorp Super Netball league in Australia in 2020.

Thirlby added: "It won't be long until we will see both of these fantastic athletes back out on court again for England, but in the meantime we look forward to having their support from the sidelines as we prepare for our upcoming international series in South Africa."

England play South Africa in a three-match series in Cape Town from 29 November-1 December.