Having lost the toss at Benoni in South Africa and been asked to bat by the Sri Lankans, England lost opener Sam Young in the first over - but his partner Mousley steadied the ship, ending up with 111 runs off 135 balls, including nine fours and a six.

He and Jack Haynes added 142 runs for the third wicket before the former was out for 68, while Joey Evison also hit a half-century.

Bowled with the final delivery of the innings, Evison's quickfire 59 off 45 balls saw England reach a total 279-7 off their 50 overs.

Sri Lanka's reply got off to a bad start when Navod Paranavithana was dismissed with the third ball of the innings and things never really improved, with two more wickets falling before nine overs had been bowled. 

Number three Ravindu Rasantha offered some resistance and scored 66 runs, but he found himself running out of partners as the left-arm spin of Goldsworthy caused havoc. 

Rasantha was the eighth man out and Goldsworthy's third victim, but Sri Lanka's running between the wickets also proved their undoing as three of their top eight were run out.

Goldsworthy cleaned up the tail, claiming the last two scalps to take a five-wicket haul and secure a thumping 152-run win for England.

The result means England rank as the ninth-best team at the ICC Under-19 World Cup, with Sri Lanka 10th.

England leave South Africa on a four-game winning streak after beginning the tournament with back-to-back losses, while Sri Lanka also bounced back from opening with two defeats to reach the Plate final.

The first semi-final will be played tomorrow and one of sport's most bitter rivalries renewed as India and Pakistan collide.