Emily Bolton was the hero as England defeated Netherlands in dramatic fashion to seal a place at the European Championships final stage in Sweden later this year.

England started by beating Israel comfortably in their first match of the second stage of qualifying in Croatia, as Tin-Tin Ho, Bolton and Mari Baldwin – on her debut at this level – all won 3-0.

Netherlands was a harder task but Bolton put England in front as she staved off a comeback by Emine Ernst to win 3-2.

Shuohan Men beat Ho and Tanja Helle defeated Jasmin Wong, both in four, but Ho’s 3-1 win over Ernst sent it to a deciding match, with Bolton facing Men – ranked well over 300 places higher than her at No 141 in the world.

Having twice led and seen Men peg her back, Bolton stayed in front for most of the deciding game, but then faced a match point at 9-10. She saved that, missed one of her own at 11-10, but then won two points in a row to seal the victory for England.

With third opponents Bulgaria also having won their two matches, and the top two in the group gong through to the finals, England knew they had qualified and elected to pick Wong and Baldwin alongside Ho.

Ho won her two matches to leave it poised at 2-2 going into the final match between Wong and Tsvetelina Georgieva, which the Bulgarian edged 3-2 to seal victory and top spot in the group for her country.

Results

England 3 Israel 0
Tin-Tin Ho bt Itshak Sinay 3-0 (11-6, 11-7, 11-9)
Emily Bolton bt Elinor Davidov 3-0 (11-5, 11-5, 11-6)
Mari Baldwin bt Vital Karlin 3-0 (11-8, 11-7, 11-4)

England 3 Netherlands 2
Bolton bt Emine Ernst 3-2 (11-5, 11-8, 6-11, 5-11, 11-6)
Shuohan Men bt Ho 3-1 (11-7, 8-11, 11-9, 11-7)
Tanja Helle bt Jasmin Wong 3-1 (13-15, 11-3, 11-6, 11-8)
Ho bt Ernst 3-1 (6-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-5)
Bolton bt Men 3-2 (11-8, 6-11, 11-9, 7-11, 13-11)

Bulgaria 3 England 2
Ho bt Tsvetelina Georgieva 3-1 (9-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-2)
Maria Yovkova bt Wong 3-0 (11-6, 11-6, 11-3)
Kalina Hristova bt Baldwin 3-1 (11-3, 9-11, 11-6, 11-3)
Ho bt Yovkova 3-1 (11-5, 6-11, 11-8, 13-11)
Georgieva bt Wong 3-2 (11-7, 9-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7)