England Roses victorious in series opener against Uganda

England's last game was against New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games where the Roses lost 55-48 in the bronze-medal match and finished fourth

England beat Uganda 60-51 in the first of their three-match series as the Roses got their preparations for the 2023 World Cup in Cape Town under way.

Five players made their England debut in a much-changed side from the Commonwealth Games.

Head coach Jess Thirlby said: "I couldn't be prouder of the girls that have stepped on court for the first time."

The second match takes place on Saturday at the Copper Box, London.

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England faced Uganda in the pool stage at the Commonwealth Games and held out in a feisty encounter to win 56-35.

But this was a new-look squad from the one that missed out on a Commonwealth medal in Birmingham earlier this year as Thirlby trialled some of the younger talent at her disposal.

The Roses made a good start with defender Alice Harvey, who was making her Roses debut, managing to stem the flow of prolific shooter Mary Cholhok and Ellie Cardwell shooting comfortably for England.

But Thirlby rang the changes at half-time after a series of errors left them trailing by three goals.

Exciting young defender Funmi Fadoju replaced Harvey and Liv Tchine came on at shooter for their first Roses caps while Thirlby injected some experience into the mid-court as Chelsea Pitman returned to play for England for the first time since 2020.

Zara Everitt and Ellie Rattu also entered the fray for their first England caps and, bolstered by the more experienced spine in mid-court, England eventually stretched out a comfortable nine-goal victory.

Thirlby said: "We knew it would be bumpy, they're a world-class side and we obviously had a few different combinations out there that have only had a short time back in camp.

"I'm really proud of the efforts of the more familiar faces in helping to provide the support for others to come on and flourish in what is a winning debut for a number of players which is great."

Quarter-time scores

Q1: 16-11

Q2: 25-28

Q3: 42-37

Q4: 60-51

Starting sevens

England: GK - Harvey; GD - Williams; WD - Malcolm; C - Allison; WA - Joseph; GA - Drakeford-Lewis; GS - Cardwell

Uganda: GK - Peace; GD - Nampungu; WD - Nambridge; C - Baagala; WA - Eyaru; GA - Nassanga; GS - Cholhok