SWINDON coach Anna Mayes will again lead England into battle today as they country’s netballers continue their Commonwealth Games netball campaign against Trinidad and Tobago.

England sit second in Pool B following Sunday’s victory over South Africa, meaning a victory this morning is vital if they are to qualify for the next round.

Mayes’s side weren’t on until five o’clock on Sunday and so the coach allowed her players to take time off with a group of the team being seen at Ibrox watching the rugby sevens on Saturday – and it worked wonders.

Despite a slow start, England pulled away to defeat South Africa 41-35, their second win after an opening victory against Wales, and Mayes insisted it was important that the team were allowed to take their minds off the cruel Australia defeat.

“Winning ugly is absolutely fine when you have got a win under your belt. I think the girls showed real character and real grit after the Australia match,” she said.

“They showed real strength of character and lot of people after the game were asking how we would get them back up but they get themselves up.

“Some of them took themselves away to watch another sport, others stayed at home and chilled out.”

While Mayes allowed her team to have a full day off yesterday, she was just as busy as ever behind the scenes.

But, having witnessed England show great character to put the Australia defeat behind them and triumph over South Africa 41-35, Mayes insists that’s the least they deserved.

“We knew we were going to have to bring it,” she added. “South Africa are a tidy side and in terms of their game against Australia later on in the pools they will probably give them a good run for their money.”

Commonwealth Games England (CGE) leads and manages the participation of the Team England at the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games. We work with sports, Sponsors and Sport England to support the development of athletes and their sports, and to achieve success at Games-time.