Netball: Langman refuses to take it easy

Laura Langman: 'I never like sitting on the bench.' Photo Getty
Laura Langman: 'I never like sitting on the bench.' Photo Getty
Even after notching up a record 100 consecutive tests for New Zealand, energetic midcourter Laura Langman can't bear the thought of being rested.

The 28-year-old yesterday became the third Silver Fern behind Lesley Rumball and Irene van Dyk to bring up the milestone, and the first player in the world to play 100 consecutive tests, marking the achievement with a dominant 17-goal win over England.

Today's final match of their whirlwind UK tour against England A presents an opportunity for Langman, who arguably has the biggest workload in world netball, to enjoy a bit of a spell on the bench. But you get the feeling she will hate every minute of it.

"I hope not," she said, when asked if she might get a break anytime soon.

"I never like sitting on the bench, so it would be great if I can see a bit of court time out there.

"I think I've still got a few objectives to tick off on this tour before we get on a plane."

Talk of the impressive feat was a no-go topic ahead of yesterday's match, with Langman keeping her focus on improving on a mixed performance against Jamaica over the weekend.

But after a confidence-boosting 49-32 win over England in the Ferns' final test outing before the July Commonwealth Games, she was in the mood for a bit more reflection.

The midcourter, who made her senior debut aged just 18, admitted it had been an emotional day.

"I remember my first match really clearly and I did not get emotional at all - but boy those two extra zeroes sure did tickle up something," said Langman.

"I feel very overwhelmed and humbled and I think it's special in a way that it's a journey that has involved masses and masses of people who have supported me, so it was great to be able to reflect on that."

A late venue change meant the momentous test was witnessed only by a modest crowd of about 1000 at Crystal Palace after the floor at their original venue was ruled unfit for international netball.

The court surface at the Copperbox Arena in London's Olympic Park sustained damage during a weight-lifting event over the weekend, forcing England Netball to find a replacement venue with about 24 hours notice.

The surroundings may not have been befitting of the occasion, but the performance from the Ferns certainly was as the New Zealand side shook off a poor first quarter to overpower the English, who had rather fancied their chances heading into the match.

With England having a full-strength squad to select from for the first time in three years and being typically strong at this time of year given they are midway through their domestic season, the match was considered a real danger game for the Ferns.

But given the purpose of the tour was to give new combinations exposure to Jamaica and England, coach Waimarama Taumaunu had to take the risk and opt for a second-string attacking line-up of Cathrine Latu, Jodi Brown and Camilla Lees.

After a patchy start, in which they trailed 13-9 at the first break, the Ferns began to work their way back into the match as improved ball placement into the circle helped the shooters find more space against the impressive English defensive pairing of Geva Mentor and Eboni Beckford-Chambers.

After being relieved of the lead shortly before halftime, England disappointingly fell away in the second half, although a series of curious substitutions - including the benching of Mentor - did not appear to help them any.

Nevertheless the Ferns will be delighted to notch up such a comprehensive win without three of their regular starters in Irene van Dyk, Maria Tutaia and injured captain Casey Kopua.

Taumaunu said while the plan was for the starting line to run out the game, had they still been struggling at halftime she would have called in the reinforcements to bail them out.

She is delighted the group didn't force her to do that.

"We wanted to give them experience at that intensity for the full 60 minutes. But it would not have been at the expense of the game - it was not a game we were prepared to lose."

- Dana Johannsen of the New Zealand Herald

Add a Comment