England bounced back from their defeat to South Africa with victory over Australia in a repeat of the 2018 Commonwealth Games final ©Getty Images

England bounced back from their defeat to South Africa with victory over Australia in a repeat of the 2018 Commonwealth Games final but fell short of the five-goal margin required to clinch the Netball Quad Series title in London.

The host nation needed to overcome their fierce rivals by five to finish top of the pile at the Copper Box Arena on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

But they narrowly missed out on winning the competition for the first time, recording a battling 52-49 win which saw them recover from the shock loss to South Africa yesterday and end the tournament in style.

Australia were crowned winners of the event despite the defeat.

"We talked about what we had to do and a number of players wanted to show what they can do," England coach Tracey Neville told Sky Sports.

"The girls did an excellent job and I'm so proud."

New Zealand needed double overtime to beat South Africa in the day's other match ©Getty Images
New Zealand needed double overtime to beat South Africa in the day's other match ©Getty Images

The Australian side, who will defend their Netball World Cup title in Liverpool later this year, have now clinched the Quad Series crown on five occasions.

New Zealand are the only other team to have won the event, with their triumph in 2017 briefly breaking Australia's dominance.

New Zealand finished third during this edition as they edged South Africa in double overtime.

The thrilling contest between the two sides ended 45-45 at the end of the four quarters, sending the match into overtime.

It took a further 20 minutes to decide the winners before New Zealand shaded a tense affair 62-60.