A fantastic debut performance from shooter Amelia Walmsley has seen the Silver Ferns level the Taini Jamison Trophy, beating England 57-36 at Porirua's Te Rauparaha Arena.
Needing to make a statement after falling to a one-goal loss last weekend, Dame Noeline Taurua bravely handed the 19-year-old her debut ahead of veteran Maia Wilson and was rewarded with a near flawless performance.
Walmsley netted an impressive 36 goals from 41 attempts and was supported by captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio's 21 goals and 10 assists.
The midcourt pair of Maddy Gordon (20 assists) and Mila Reuelu-Buchanan (8 assists) gave their shooters service that England couldn't match, with England's trio of Sasha Glasgow (11/15), Sophie Drakeford-Lewis (7/14) and Berri Neil (18/24) unable to score at better than 80 percent.
Vice-captain Phoenix Karaka returned to goal defence and combined with Kelly Jury to marshall the defence, with the England's shooters struggling to have the same impact as their Silver Ferns counterparts.
Two days on from the embarrassing defeat in the series-opener, New Zealand came out firing, as Dame Noeline made changes to the starting side from Christchurch.
With focus on Walmsley, playing her first test in front of her Central Pulse home crowd, shooting partner Ekenasio seized the early initiative, outscoring England singlehandedly in the opening quarter to give the Silver Ferns the upper hand at 17-7.
While Ekenasio dominated the early scoring, Walmsley was allowed to settle. After missing her opening two shots, Walmsley didn't miss again in the opening half, but a 5-0 scoring run from England saw the gap close, as the NZ advantage was cut to 27-23 at halftime.
After the break, a 5-1 run saw the Ferns regather, as Karaka and Jury's efforts in defence halted England's momentum.
As the Ferns took the third quarter 12-7 to lead 39-30 heading into the final quarter, the onus was on the visitors to force the result to take the series, as they'd done in the opener.
Another goal from Ekenasio at the start of the final quarter pushed New Zealand's lead back into double figures, while England's shooters struggled to match Walmlsley and Ekenasio.
A run of seven goals without reply in the final spell all but assured victory for the home team, as a frustrated England failed to consistently get the better of Karaka and Jury.
Backing her starters, Dame Noeline didn't make a single substitution until the final whistle, as Walmsley took the score past 50 and the lead past the 20-goal margin, as England were eventually put out of their misery.
Both sides will now head to Hamilton, where the series will be decided in the third and final test on Saturday.
England will look to win the Taini Jamison Trophy again, after doing so in 2021, while the Silver Ferns will want to make a statement against a weakened Roses side.
Silver Ferns 57 (Walmsley 36, Ekenasio 21) England 36 (Neil 18, Glasgow 11, Drakeford-Lewis 7)
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