Netball: Australia beat England 55-41 to secure series sweep in London

Caitlin Bassett inspired Australia to a 3-0 series sweep over England with 27 goals in a 55-41 win at the Copper Box in London.

England again competed well in the opening quarter, but Bassett's accurate shooting put Australia on top and eventually helped them secure their first sweep on English soil since 2004.

The home team also had a 27-goal shooter, in Helen Housby, but they were unable to back up her efforts and also had captain Sara Bayman sent off in the closing stages for repeated fouling.

The Roses matched their opponents goal-for-goal for much of the opening period, but a three-goal run sparked by Sharni Layton's interception gave Australia breathing space at 10-7.

Good work from Housby and Rachel Dunn helped level the scores at 12-12, and the period ended with the game tied at 13-13.

But Bassett's introduction at the start of the second period changed the momentum in Australia's direction, with the goal shooter consistently troubling England's defenders and rarely missing when given a chance to goal.

Australia built a 26-20 lead by half-time and dominated long spells of the third quarter, England struggling when Manchester Thunder player Bayman was forced to spend time on the sideline with a knee injury.

Bayman would return to the game before the end of the period, leading coach Tracey Neville to shuffle her positional players around and take Sasha Corbin out of the game.

But by now it was all Australia, and even the loud cheers when Housby hit a long-range shot were soon quietened as Australia went on a three-goal run to lead 47-33.

Hannah Joseph received the call for her England debut in the fourth, the latest in a list of young players given a chance by Neville, and she was involved in another Housby goal soon after her introduction.

But despite loud support from the packed stands, Bassett continued to hit basket after basket as the Diamonds added to their lead.

Bayman was sent off after a contact left her on the floor in the Diamonds shooting circle with the score at 53-41 with less than two minutes to go, leaving the Roses to finish the game with six players with Australia adding a couple more goals as time ran down on the series.