At the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, England netball player Eleanor Cardwell did something rare: she scored every single shot she took. All 21 of them. And she did it in just one half of play, coming off the bench partway through the match.
England bounced back from a tough loss to Australia with a commanding 73-38 win over Malawi on Saturday. Just days earlier, England had fallen to the world's number one team 66-47, but there was no sign of that defeat weighing on the Roses. They jumped out to an 18-9 lead in the first quarter and never looked back.
"Cardwell proved to be an influential substitution," the match report noted. While Malawi fought hard, England steadily built their advantage and then stepped on the gas in the final quarter, outscoring their opponents 18-5.
The victory puts England third in Pool A, sitting behind reigning champions Australia and South Africa. But this tournament has been far from smooth preparation for the team. Head coach Jess Thirlby stepped down in March for family reasons, leaving assistant Anna Stembridge to lead the team in an interim role. To make matters harder, key players Helen Housby and Natalie Metcalf are injured, meaning ten of the twelve players on England's squad are making their Commonwealth Games debut in Glasgow.
Despite the upheaval, England is still chasing gold. They won it back in 2018 and now have their sights set on reclaiming the title. Up next, they face Tonga on Wednesday at 4 PM BST, followed by a crucial match against South Africa on Thursday at 9 PM BST. That game against South Africa could decide who earns a spot in the semi-finals.
For a team rebuilding under new leadership and missing some of its most experienced stars, a 35-point victory is a powerful statement. And when Cardwell checked into the game and knocked down shot after shot, it suggested this Roses squad has depth the opponents might not have expected.