SA women's netball side beaten by England, face Oz in semis

Cape Town - The South African women's netball side has recorded their first defeat of this year's World Cup in Liverpool, going down to hosts England in their final group match.

England dominated the match from the outset, opening up a 19-11 lead after the first quarter.

The Proteas fought back in the second quarter, losing it narrowly 12-9, leaving the score at half-time 31-20 in England's favour.

After the break the Proteas once again took it to their more fancied opponents, but again came off second-best in the third quarter by a 12-10 scoreline.

The fourth quarter was a ding-dong affair and the South African side's never-say-die attitude saw them edge the quarter 17-15, leaving the final score 58-47 to England.

The Proteas will play Australia, the world's No 1-ranked side in the semi-finals after they edged rivals New Zealand 50-49 in their final group match.

The Australia v South Africa showdown will take place on Saturday, July 20 at 12:00 SA time and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.