Diamonds hold on to world No 1 ranking with victory over New Zealand

Australia’s 68-58 win avoids Constellation Cup clean sweepGoal attack Georgie Horjus shoots 26/28 with 20 assistsThe Diamonds have held onto their prized world No 1 ranking after avoiding a Constellation Cup clean sweep with a 68-58 win over New Zealand in Melbourne.New Zealand had already wrapped up the series 3-0 but would have leapfrogged Australia to the top of the netball world rankings for the first time since 2013 if they had won on Wednesday night. Continue reading…

Australia’s 68-58 win avoids Constellation Cup clean sweep as goal attack Georgie Horjus shoots 26/28 with 20 assists The Diamonds have held onto their prized world No 1 ranking after avoiding a Constellation Cup clean sweep with a 68-58 win over New Zealand in Melbourne. New Zealand had already wrapped up the series 3-0 but would have leapfrogged Australia to the top of the netball world rankings for the first time since 2013 if they had won on Wednesday night. But goal attack Georgie Horjus (26/28, 20 goal assists) turned in a star performance as Australia seized control in the third quarter at Melbourne’s John Cain Arena to avoid a series whitewash.

The 3-1 series loss maintains Australia’s record of never losing all four matches of the trans-Tasman tournament and will keep them as world No 1 when the new rankings are released in December. The game was Australia’s last before next year’s World Cup defence in Sydney, when the Diamonds will be seeking to re-establish themselves as top dogs after a disappointing Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Horjus overcame a slow start to turn in