England sharpshooter Rachel Dunn

England narrowly failed to upset world champions Australia in the opening match of a two-Test series, going down 42-39 in a tense encounter in Newcastle, NSW.

The match was close all the way through, with England coming out after three quarters only trailing by one goal (33 - 32). The fourth Quarter saw England close on a number of occasions, but the visitors were unable to ever take a critical lead.

National Coach Sue Hawkins, returning to her native Australia for the first time as England Coach, knows there is more to come from a very committed England team. Sue said: "We can improve our game by another 30% potentially in this series, and the series is far from over."

The series concludes in Adelaide on Wednesday, before England travel to New Zealand for a three-match series against the Silver Ferns.

England: Rachel Dunn, Louisa Brownfield, Karen Atkinson, Jade Clark, Sara Bayman, Sonia Mkloma, Geva Mentor
Substitutes used: Tamsin Greenway/Jo Binns

Shooting stats:
Rachel Dunn: 67% (10/15), Louisa Brownfield: 79%(23/29), Tamsin Greenway: 67%(6/9)