By Alison Mitchell BBC Sport cricket reporter

There were mixed feelings in the England camp after the team secured their place in the World Cup semi-finals.

Defeat by five wickets did not convey the closeness of the game

They were pleased, of course, to be through, but elation was tinged with slight disappointment that they couldn't do it with victory over defending champions New Zealand.

Defeat by five wickets did not convey the closeness of the game.

It was not a high scoring contest but after posting a score of 179-6, England's bowlers showed the required discipline and the Kiwis could only get the runs with seven balls to spare.

A couple more wickets in the middle part of the innings would have put them under that bit more pressure which could have made the difference.

But England saved the bonus point and it is that which saw them through to the last four with one round robin match still to play against the West Indies.

Without prolific opening batsman Charlotte Edwards, the Blue Lions (as the team, or at least their supporters are known) missed a stroke-maker of grace and precision.

After picking up a niggle in her thigh during her innings of 99 in the previous game against South Africa, she at least has a few days between now and the semis in which to get back to full fitness.

Sarah McGlashan made 35 in a vital stand with Haidee Tiffen

Her absence against New Zealand though, did mean that a lot more responsibility fell on the shoulders of fellow opener Laura Newton.

She responded admirably with a knock of 30, and was unfortunate to be run out by one of three stunning direct hits from the Kiwis, including one from the boundary.

A new concern for England is fast bowler Lucy Pearson, who fears she may have a recurrence of a stress fracture of the shin.

She is one of the best women bowlers in the world, consistently returning economical figures and has often been instrumental in grabbing a first wicket early in the innings in this tournament, and a player whose infectious energy oozes out across the outfield.

At 33, Pearson has also provided unstinting support for the younger bowlers such as 19-year-old Katherine Brunt of Yorkshire, who is quietly making her mark on the international scene.

This is school teacher Pearson�s 3rd World Cup, and should England win here, this could be her last hurrah, unless the lure of another Ashes summer proves too much.

Certainly she does not deserve to exit this tournament early, and before her team mates, so fingers crossed for her recovery over the next few days.