England have been defeated in the semi-finals of the Netball World Cup 50-39 by New Zealand.
The Roses reached the last four of the competition by beating South Africa in the quarter-finals and were aiming to secure a place in the final for the first time.
Tracey Neville's side struggled to impose themselves in their attacking play in the first quarter as New Zealand were able to take a 11-5 lead.
Jo Harten began to find her range to bring the Roses back into the game, but the Silver Ferns managed to edge ahead once more at half time, with the score at 21-17.
Maria Tutaia displayed her quality at the start of the third quarter as she netted twice to put her team back in the ascendency, while the Roses lost the momentum they built up in the second period.
The Silver Ferns compounded their advantage when Tutaia scored again just before the end of the third quarter to hand her side a 10-point lead.
Harten drove forward in a desperate attempt to bring England back into the game, but the Roses struggled for accuracy around the net as they fell agonisingly short of reaching the final.
New Zealand will face the winner of the match between Australia and Jamaica in the gold-medal match.
Simon Sinclair
