Vitality Netball: when does England vs Jamaica international series start? How to watch on UK TV and schedule

Vitality Roses are taking on the Jamaica Sunshine in a three-match netball series this week and following last night’s action, the Roses are currently 1-0 up after beating the visitors 73-52.

Jamaica took a six-goal lead at the start as the Roses looked unsettled and frantic in front of an excited Manchester crowd, but the second half saw a much more composed England performance which saw them come back to grab the win. Over 6,000 fans attended the AO Arena in Manchester and this marked the first time since 2016 that an international netball match had taken place in the city.

Speaking after the match, England Roses’ head coach Jess Thirlby spoke to BBC Sport saying: “ I am pleased with how we’ve responded but I guess the homework for Test two will be to not go down to find that response. I felt that we let ourselves down in the first quarter a little bit. But everyone contributed really well when we neded it most throughout the game so we could get a foothold back in. I’m just very proud of the fact they found a way to win.”

When are the remaining matches?

There are two remaining matches in the England vs Jamaica series and will take place on Saturday 14 January and Sunday 15 Janaury. Both fixtures are set to start at 2pm (GMT) and will conclude around 4pm. While Wednesday’s match took place at the AO Arena in Manchester, the remaining two will be played at the Copper Box Arena in London.

Both matches have reportedly sold out but resale tickets are available and can be found on the England Netball website.

How to watch Netball vs Jamaica series

The BBC will have all the action from the Vitality International series. Saturday’s fixture will be available to watch on BBC Two and can be streamed on BBC iPlayer. Meanwhile, Sunday’s fixture can be watched on the BBC Red Button as well as through iPlayer.

The fixtures can also be accessed through the BBC Sport website and app.

England squad: Imogen Allison (Team Bath); Eleanor Cardwell (Adelaide Thunderbirds); Jade Clarke (London Pulse); Sophie Drakeford-Lewis (Surrey Storm); Funmi Fadoju (London Pulse); Layla Guscoth (Surrey Storm); Jo Harten (Giants Netball); Alice Harvey (Loughborough Lightning); Helen Housby (NSW Swifts); Laura Malcolm (Trident Homes Tactix); Elle McDonald (Leeds Rhinos); Geva Mentor (Collingwood Magpies); Natalie Metcalf (Manchester Thunder); Chelsea Pitman (London Pulse); Olivia Tchine (London Pulse); Francesca Williams (Loughborough Lightning)

Jamaica Squad: Theresa Beckford, Shanice Beckford, Kadie-Ann Dehany, Nicole Dixon-Rochester, Jhaniele Fowler, Tafiya Hunter, Malaysha Kelly, Roxonna McLean, Shimona Nelson, Crystal Plummer, Rebekah Robinson, Jodi-Ann Ward, Khadijah Williams.

When are England playing next?

Following the Vitality Roses three-match series against Jamaica, they will then travel to South Africa to take part in the Netball Quad series. They will play three matches:

• 21 January: Australian Diamonds vs Vitality Roses, 4pm (GMT)
• 22 January: South Africa SPAR Proteas vs Vitality Roses, 2pm
• 24 January: Vitality Roses vs New Zealand Silver Ferns, 4pm

All fixtures are set to be played at the Cape Town International Convention Centre and will be available to watch on Sky Sports.