Ellie Cardwell decided to learn from her Commonwealth Games disappointment

Ellie Cardwell says her England netball teammates are determined to learn from their Commonwealth Games disappointment as they prepare to return to the court against Uganda early next month.

The 27-year-old was one of the bright spots of an exciting but ultimately futile campaign in Birmingham as the hosts’ bid to retain the title they won so memorably on the Gold Coast in 2018 ended in the semi-finals.

With a number of established team-mates rested, Cardwell will take on extra responsibility as one of the leaders of an inexperienced side for the three-match series against the She-Cranes before the big guns return for a daunting finish. series of years in Australia.

Cardwell told the PA news agency: “It was quite a difficult time after the Commonwealth Games because I didn’t think the disappointment of what happened would hit me as hard.

“Over the years we’ve become much more confident in our ability to perform on the top stage and come away with medals and that’s what made it so disappointing this time.

“I’ve taken some time and really thought about it and now we’re back in camp, we’ve talked about it and we’re focused on the series ahead and ultimately the World Cup next year.”

England face Uganda, who pulled off a shock win over South Africa in Birmingham, on October 5 in Nottingham before a doubleheader in London the following weekend. Afterwards, stars such as Helen Housby, Jo Harten and Geva Mentor will join the team for the three-match series against the Diamonds.

For England manager Jess Thirlby, a first trip Down Under in 2018 is the ideal opportunity to shrug off Birmingham’s disappointment and restore momentum ahead of a big year in 2023.

“We went back into camp for the first time last week and reflected that we are keen to bring the learnings from that Commonwealth Games journey and how we can use those opportunities to be even stronger in our World Cup campaign,” Thirlby said .

“Having opportunities like this against world-class teams so soon is great because it really focuses the mind and allows us to go out there and test things with the World Cup in mind.”