1 day to go - countdown to the 2012 internationals

Friday, September 14, 2012

Netball Australia is counting down until the 2012 Holden Netball Test Series with a series of fun facts, statistics and information related to the Australian Diamonds everyday between the team announcement and the first Test of the Constellation Cup in Melbourne.

A new fact will be added below everyday. 

35 – The Australian Diamonds Squad has an average of 35 international Test caps per person excluding the five players who are yet to make their debuts. Catherine Cox has the most with 98 while Thunderbirds duo Erin Bell and Sharni Layton have the least with nine.

34 – The Diamonds have conceded an average 34.9 goals per game in the 368 international Tests since Australia first player international netball in 1938.  

33 – Australian Diamonds shooter Natalie Medhurst has shot at 80 per cent or better in 33 of her 44 Test appearances. Medhurst’s most goals in a single game for the Australia Diamonds is 34 against Jamaica at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India.

32 – The Australian Diamonds need just 32 more goals to register their 2000^thinternational goal against South Africa. The Diamonds have contested 28 Tests against South Africa, scoring an average of 70.286 goals per game.

31 – 31 goals is the Australian Diamonds largest winning margin over the New Zealand Silver Ferns when Australia defeated New Zealand 44-13 on 28 August 1948 in the second Test at Waiwakaiho Courts, New Plymouth. This was the first ever Australian Tour of New Zealand.

30 - The Australian Diamonds contest a Test match in Auckland for the 30^thtime when they take on the Silver Ferns in the second Test of the Constellation Cup however it will just be the 15^thtime against New Zealand in Auckland.

29 – Defender Michelle Den Dekker ended her career as the longest serving Diamonds captain at the age of 29. Den Dekker captained the Diamonds in 71 Tests, a national team record, to 65 victories at a 92 per cent success rate. Diamonds current captain Natalie von Bertouch was appointed captain last year before the 2011 World Netball Championships at 29 years old.

28 – Diamonds shooter Catherine Cox has contested 28 international Tests against New Zealand in her 98 caps. As it stands, Cox has recorded 562 goals from 741 attempts against the Silver Ferns at 76 per cent.  

27 – The average age of the Australian Diamonds team for the 2012 Holden Netball Test Series is 27 years old. Catherine Cox is the eldest at 36 years old while debutant Ashleigh Brazill is the youngest at 22 years old.

26 – Australian Diamonds defender Julie Corletto will be celebrating her 26^thbirthday the day before the last Quad-Series game against New Zealand in Hamilton. Make sure you with Julie a Happy Birthday on October 31.

25 – 25 goals in the New Zealand Silver Ferns largest winning margin against the Australian Diamonds in the 74 year history. New Zealand defeated Australia 61-36 in Auckland on 29 October 2005.

24 – There is a difference of 24 centimetres between the tallest player, Caitlin Bassett (192cm), and the shortest, Madison Browne (168cm), in the Australian Diamonds team for the 2012 Holden Netball Test Series.

23 - Australian Diamonds mid-courter Chelsea Pitman had the responsibility of care for team mascot Thumper for last year’s World Netball Championships as the youngest member of the team at 23 years old. We will reveal tomorrow who has the duty of caring for Thumper during this year’s Holden Netball Test Series...

22 – West Coast Fever’s Ashleigh Brazill is the youngest member of the Australian Diamonds team at just 22 years, 7 months, 28 days.

21 – The Australian Diamonds have either lost or drawn only 21% of their Test matches on home soil. Of the 131 Tests played in Australia, the Diamonds have won 104, lost 22 and drawn 5.

20 – 156 players have represented Australia in international netball with an average of 20 Tests per player. Defender Liz Ellis (retired in 2007) leads the way with 122 Test appearances while 15 players have only played one Test for Australia.

19 – 19 is the number of Tests between Susan Pratley’s last appearance on court for the Australian Diamonds between playing the first half at goal attack against Trindad at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the first Test of the 2012 Constellation Cup against New Zealand in Melbourne.

18 – 18 is the most Tests the Australian Diamonds have ever contested in a single calendar year, a feat that has been achieved twice 1998 and 2010. In 1998 the Diamonds won 17 consecutive games after losing after losing their first game of the year to Jamaica 54-52, their best result in a calendar year. In 2010 the Diamonds won  15 games and lost to England once and New Zealand twice which included the double extra-time final at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

17 – The Australian Diamonds have either lost or drawn only 17% of Test matches. The Diamonds have contested 368 Tests, only losing 53 and drawing nine.

16 – The Australian Diamonds have won a total of 16 times against the Silver Ferns at the five New Zealand 2012 Test cities. The Diamonds have won five of 14 Tests in Auckland, six of eight Tests in Christchurch, two of three Tests in Wellington, three of four Tests in Hamilton and they're yet to play in Tauranga.   

15 – The Australian Diamonds are travelling with a team of 15 players for the first time instead of the traditional 12 players to assist with player and load management.

14 – Diamonds shooter Erin Bell requires just 14 more goals to record her 100th international goal for Australia. After making her debut against Samoa in the opening game of the 2011 World Netball Championships, Bell has recorded nine Test caps, splitting her time between the shooting circle and wing attack.

13 – The Australian Diamonds and New Zealand Silver Ferns have contested 13 international Tests in the month of September. Australia has won eight, lost four and drawn once against New Zealand in September.

12 – The average ASICS shoe size of the Australian Diamonds.

11 – The New Zealand Silver Fern’s lowest ever score against the Australian Diamonds is 11 goals when they lost 40-11 in the first ever trans-Tasman Test match on August 20 1938.

10 – The record number of consecutive victories for the Australian Diamonds over New Zealand achieved between 1995 World Netball Championships (20 July 1995) and 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur (21 September 1998).

9 – The Australian Diamonds will contest 9 international Tests in 2012 with the three-Test Constellation Cup and six Test Quad Series featuring New Zealand, England and South Africa. The first Test of the Constellation Cup will be played in Melbourne followed by the first three Tests of the Quad-Series in Adelaide, Newcastle and Sydney.

8 – The Australian Diamonds have beaten both England and South Africa eight times each by a margin between 31-40 goals. The Diamonds have contested 57 Tests against England and 28 against South Africa.

7 – The Australian Diamonds have previously contested seven international Tests at Hisense Arena in Melbourne. The Diamonds have won four of the seven, including last year’s Holden Netball Test Series decider which Australia defeated New Zealand 44-41 to retain the Constellation Cup and regain the world number one ranking.

6 – Both Natalie Medhurst and Kimberlee Green need just six Test appearances to record 50 Test caps for the Australian Diamonds while captain Natalie von Bertouch requires six more caps to reach 75 Test appearances.

5– The Australian Diamonds have only beaten the New Zealand Silver Ferns five times in 14 previous Tests in Auckland. That head to head record is the Diamonds worst winning percentage of any Test venue being played at this year.

4 – The Australian Diamonds require just four more international victories to record their 310^thTest win. As we head into the 2012 Holden Netball Test Series, the Diamonds have won 306 from 368 international Tests at 83 per cent.

3 – The Australia Diamonds successfully defending the Constellation Cup title in 2011 with three victories. After splitting the New World Netball Series in New Zealand 1-1 prior to the 2011 World Netball Championships, the Diamonds defeated the Silver Ferns 2-1 in the Holden Netball Test Series to retain the title and reclaim the world number one ranking.

2 – The number of Test appearances required by Diamonds shooter Catherine Cox to become the fourth player in Australia netball history to reach 100 Test caps. Cox made her debut against South Africa in Perth on 11 June 1997. 

1 – The Australian Diamonds will be playing a Test match in Tauranga, New Zealand for the first time when they on England in the Quad-Series on Sunday 28 October.