Ferns beat England to win series

Louise Brownfield was England's goal shooter

England failed to record a first series victory against New Zealand when they crashed to a 61-22 defeat in the deciding match in Palmerston North.

England were full of confidence after fighting back to secure their first away win over New Zealand with a 40-38 victory in Wednesday's second Test.

But the Silver Ferns took control of the third game straight from the start and eased to a convincing victory.

England had lost to Australia in two matches before playing New Zealand.

Nigel Holl, director of netball at England Netball, said: "No-one must lose faith after the weekend's defeat.

"The England Team has shown great skill and persistence throughout the tour, with impressive performances against current world champions Australia from the start, and then bouncing back to beat the Silver Ferns on Wednesday.

"If at the start of the tour we had predicted a win against New Zealand and such a close result against Australia, we would all be thrilled with the results.

"Nevertheless, there is much to learn from the tour, and rest assured we will heed the lessons, and get stronger as a result.

"To challenge our rivals at the next level, consistency of performance is required, and I know Sue Hawkins and the whole squad is totally committed to that approach."