England get off to flying start in Netball World Cup

The England manager, Tracey Neville, was delighted with her side’s opening performance as they beat Uganda 64-32 – not least that they kept their cool in a game that had some particularly physical encounters. Centre Stella Oyella tussled with her counterpart and England captain Serena Guthrie throughout the match and had already earned a caution and two minutes in the sin- binwhen she tangled limbs with her replacement Jade Clarke. If Oyella looked confused as the umpire pointed her off court, it is because no one had seen such a sight in a World Cup before – including Neville, who admitted to some sympathy for Uganda. To say netball changed Proscovia’s life is no cliche – she grew up in the kind of poverty that requires you to walk miles for fresh water and condemns your schoolfriends to forced marriages. Guthrie paid tribute to her afterwards – “she’s an incredibly passionate player and she provides a lot of composurefor us” – and England’s famously fiery captain was not bothered at all by the style of play they had been caught in.

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