Helen Housby has hailed the “incredible” home support England have received at the Netball World Cup.

Housby, from Drumleaning, near Wigton, once again was heavily involved as England secured a 56-48 victory over world number two side Jamaica to all but secure their place in the semi-finals.

But it was a true captain’s display from Serena Guthrie which inspired the Roses to the win.

"Serena was just phenomenal," said 24-year-old Housby, speaking after the match.

"She stands up for us and leads by example, and that’s exactly what she did."

It was a first real test for England against a team who sit one place above them in the world rankings.

After a cagey first two quarters, England pulled away in the second half to maintain their unbeaten record in the tournament so far, having also beaten Uganda, Scotland and Samoa.

“It’s always nice to go out and have a really competitive game, like they did against South Africa," said Housby, Cumbria’s reigning Sports Personality of the Year, to womensportreport.com.

"We have some really big games coming up, so we need to rest up now and then go hard again."

On the home support in Liverpool, Housby, who recently announced she is now sponsored by Red Bull, said: “The crowds in here are incredible.

“This is what it’s like when we are split between two courts – I don’t even know what it’s going to be like when it’s just one court!

“The home support has been phenomenal.

"It feels like an eighth player and it just gives you so much energy."

Team-mate Chelsea Pitman added: "This crowd is ridiculous. It’s amazing.

"I’ve never experienced anything like it.

"When you hear them roar, you feel a vibration go through you and that’s something you can treasure when you’re older because you can’t replicate that in any other scenario."

Tracey Neville’s team will guarantee a semi-final spot with victory over Trinidad and Tobago this afternoon (3pm start).

On what kind of test England are expecting against Trinidad and Tobago, Pitman said: “We are expecting a bit of everything.

“They play a definite strong style and their definitely physical, as well.

“We just need to make sure we get fresh legs out there, work in combinations because the beauty of our team is that we can throw anyone out there and it’s seamless. We just need to make sure that we are still working on those things.”

Last year, former Nelson Thomlinson School student Housby helped England win Commonwealth Games gold, sinking the shot which saw England beat hosts Australia 52-51 in the final on the Gold Coast in Australia.