Wales 46, Northern Ireland 47

Wales suffered heartbreak on day one of the Netball Europe Championships.

They suffered a one-goal defeat after going agonisingly close to levelling the scores with six seconds left.

Welsh goalshooter Georgia Rowe saw her shot roll off the basket lip and fall, leaving Northern Ireland delighted with a hard-earned victory.

This was the opening Championship fixture at Sport Wales National Centre in Cardiff and Wales led 26-24 at half-time after an outstanding recovery.

They had trailed 11-15 after the opening quarter, but hit back in style and moved ahead.

But Wales struggled to find their flow and Northern Ireland took advantage of unforced errors to lead after the third quarter 38-33.

Wales again clawed their way back into contention, but were just edged out in a thrilling start to the four-day championships.

They scored more goals than Northern Ireland in the second and third quarters, but just came up short.

Quarter scores (Wales first): 11-15; 15-9 (26-24); 7-14 (33-38); 13-9 (46-47).

Wales: F Davies, S Drane (capt), B Dyke, K Jones, N Jones, C Lewis, S Llewelyn, K Morgan, CL Moseley, G Rowe, C Shaw, A Varey.

Northern Ireland: K Bowman, L Bowman, N Cooper, M Drayne, G Lawlor, N Lennon, M Magee, O McCullough,  S Montgomery, C O’Hanlon, F Toner, N Woods.

Scotland won the other fixture played in Cardiff on Thursday, winning a World ranking game against Fiji Pearls 52-34.

There are three matches scheduled today (Friday) and they are England v Scotland (Noon), Wales v Fiji (6pm), England v Northern Ireland (8pm).

Tickets are still available today and Saturday, but Sunday’s tickets are sold out.

The Europe Championships are providing vital preparation for the teams ahead of their participation in the 2018 Commonwealth Games on Queensland’s Gold Coast in Australia next April.

England are captained by the experienced Sasha Corbin, who plays for Hertfordshire Mavericks in the Vitality Netball Superleague.

Corbin is excited about the range of talent in the Roses squad, saying: “There is a lot of talented young girls in our team. They all deserve to be here and have all performed either in the Superleague or in trials. It’s their chance to step up.”

Fiji spent several days acclimatising to the Welsh autumn after their long journey from the Pacific Islands

Northern Ireland, fresh from a series win against the Republic of Ireland, Barbados and Singapore, are captained by Caroline O’Hanlon, who plays for the Sirens in Superleague.

Scottish Thistles are in South Wales with reason to feel confident. The Scottish Sirens franchise finished sixth in last seasons Superleague table and they will be hosting next year’s Netball Europe’s World Cup qualifiers in Perth.

Given that Scotland will be facing both Wales and England during the Commonwealth Games, the next few days will be critical in their preparation for the Gold Coast.

Netball European Open Championships, results and fixtures:

Thursday, October 5

World ranking match: Fiji 34, Scotland 52.

Europe Championships: Wales 46, Northern Ireland 47.

Friday, October 6

11.55pm-1.30pm England v Scotland

5.55pm-7.30pm Fiji v Wales

7.55pm-9.30pm England v Northern Ireland

Saturday, October 7

10.25am-Noon Fiji v Northern Ireland

3.55pm-5.30pm Wales v Scotland

5.55pm-7.30pm England v Fiji

Sunday, October 8

9.55am-11.30am Scotland v Northern Ireland

11.55am-1.30pm England v Wales

Tickets for the tournament are available here: https://www.ticketline.co.uk/netball-europe-open-2017#bio