New Zealand beat Diamonds to open Netball Cup

New Zealand drew first blood at the Constellation Cup in Wellington, crushing the Diamonds 64-50 and inflicting Australia’s biggest defeat on their trans-Tasman rivals since 2010.

The Silver Ferns crashed out in the second quarter and the anxious Aussies were unable to retake the lead.

The New Zealand batting combination was virtually untouchable, with Grace Nweke scoring 50 from 53 attempts and captain Ameliarann ​​Ekenasio adding 14 from 15.

The world No. 1 Diamonds arrived in New Zealand determined to overturn a disappointing record across the Tasman, with trainer Stacey Marinkovich having only tasted victory once, back in 2021.

However, after Sunday’s disappointing performance, that record now stands at seven in a row in New Zealand.

Australia trailed only 17-16 at the end of the first quarter, but things went wrong in the second stanza as the home side charged ahead and secured victory, leading 34-25 at the break.

Keira Austin was the player of the series in the recent triumph over England, but the Australian attack on goal did not produce the same results and she was replaced at half-time after shooting just 64 per cent.

Marinkovich continued to talk about changes, trying to correct mistakes, but the Diamonds still struggled to find their rhythm.

They clawed their way back from a seven-goal deficit after three quarters, but the New Zealanders rose to the challenge in style to claim their biggest win since a 19-goal margin in 2010, also in Wellington.

The next Test is in Auckland on Wednesday, followed by two games in Australia, hosts Perth and Melbourne.