Serena Guthrie captained her nation to a third successive World Cup bronze medal in Liverpool yesterday and believes the success of the tournament – the biggest on record in terms of ticket sales – should be used to give hope to the country’s next stars.
Over 100,000 seats were filled across the ten days at the M&S Bank Arena, with the concluding afternoon offering fans a final chance to see former Le Rocquier student Guthrie in an England dress before a rumoured break from international duty.
‘This has definitely been a once in a lifetime experience,’ said the 29-year-old following England’s 58-42 bronze medal triumph over South Africa.
‘We haven’t come out with the gold medal and that hurts. We wanted to be in the final but unfortunately we couldn’t be, so for us it was about the bronze and it would have been very disappointing if we hadn’t come away with that.’
She added: ‘It is amazing to be a part of netball exploding in this country. To be an athlete at the heart of that is truly amazing and I feel privileged. But it’s not just about these ten days, we need to keep this momentum going and I would love every single young girl who was watching today to have this experience one day if they want to play for England. So let’s keep it going.’
Discussing her upcoming plans, which could include an international hiatus, Guthrie said: ‘It has been a big four years for me so I’m going to take a week to relax with my dog Bobby.
‘I’ve got a wedding coming up and I’ve just bought a house … it never stops … but netball-wise we get a bit of a break now so I’m going to put my feet up and focus on other things.
‘I’ve not made a decision [on an England break] to be honest. I just want to focus on today and finishing off the World Cup with my mates.
‘It has been an amazing journey and for now I want to live in the moment. I’ll get home first and then start thinking about it.’
New Zealand finished the weekend as world champions following a pulsating 52-51 victory over Australia, who were chasing a fourth-straight title.
