Cumbria's Helen Housby starred as England's netballers beat world champions New Zealand to book a Commonwealth Games semi-final against old foes Australia.

The host nation claimed a 54-44 victory as they continued what has so far been a strong defence of their 2018 crown.

They will now face the Aussies in a repeat of the final four years ago, when Housby landed the dramatic winning shot.

The Cumbrian, from Drumleaning near Wigton, was at the forefront of Thursday's win, landing 23 goals with some nerveless shooting.

She helped unbeaten Pool B winners England to victory in front of a raucous home crowd at the NEC Arena in Birmingham.

The Australia showdown is on Saturday afternoon, with New Zealand taking on Jamaica in the other semi.

Coach Jess Thirlby said: "We're arriving at the semi-final having taken the scalp of a team above us in the world rankings and that's got to be good for confidence.

"I've been in this job three years and gone on a big journey with these players. This is still a group game but the group will take a lot of energy from that performance."

News and Star: Lauren Smith and Marcus EllisLauren Smith and Marcus Ellis

In badminton, meanwhile, Lauren Smith resumed her bid for a medal with a convincing last-32 win alongside Marcus Ellis in the mixed doubles.

They saw off Barbados’ Shae Michael Martin and Sabrina Scott 2-0 (21-8, 21-8) to move into Friday's round of 16.

The 30-year-old from Longtown said after the game: "They are brilliant opponents, great people and it’s what the Commonwealth Games is all about.

"This is the friendly games and that’s what it’s all about, going out there and having a great tie in front of the crowd.

"Credit to them, they had big smiles on their faces and made it a really enjoyable match."