The Roses had played superbly to reach the final in South Africa, inflicting a group stage defeat on eventual champions Australia, as well as beating defending champions New Zealand in the semi-finals.
However, a first world title remained out of reach as Australia hit back on Sunday to win the final 61-45, with island senior team head coach Sally Carns, currently out in South Africa, watching on from the stands.
‘It was a real advocate for women’s sport and I thought England played really well, they started off a bit slowly in their pool matches but were able to test some different combinations and by the end of the tournament it was all clicking into place,’ Mrs Yabsley said.
‘The final was always going to be tough as Australia are a great team, but this result is a big improvement on last world cup when England finished fourth.’
She said that Guernsey already had a very good youth system in place, with a strong uptake for places from Year 2 upwards.
‘Development officer Amy Fallaize has done a brilliant job in getting kids involved from a young age, and I would think that there will be some uplift in both the junior and senior ranks following England’s exploits.’
Mrs Yabsley was particularly looking forward to November, when Guernsey’s senior team will travel to the Isle Of Man to play fixtures against the hosts, as well as Jersey, Shetland, Orkney and Ynys Mon.
‘Netball isn’t currently in the Island Games but that week will be a great opportunity to test ourselves against some fellow Island Games islands.’
‘At the last inter-insular against Jersey our under-18 team were the only team to win a match, so it shows that we have some promising youngsters coming through.’
Island senior team captain Donna Brehaut said watching the tournament had been inspiring.
‘Our WhatsApp groups were popping off, everyone wanted to have a say on the action.’
She felt positive about the future of the sport on the island, highlighting the current league system as an effective way for players to be fast-tracked through the junior ranks to senior level.
‘We’ve had loads of interest from girls who want to get involved with seniors, and have held a number of training camps.’
‘The future is looking really bright.’
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