From Netball Singapore…
SINGAPORE KICKS OFF MIRXES NATIONS CUP TITLE DEFENCE WITH DOMINANT WIN OVER CANADA
The Singapore Vandas opened their title defence at the 2024 Mirxes Nations Cup in emphatic fashion, securing a commanding 78-20 victory over Canada.
From the outset, the Singapore Vandas delivered a well-rounded performance, with the attacking trio of Goal Shooter Lee Pei Shan, Goal Attack Amandeep Chahal, and Wing Attack Toh Kai Wei leading the charge. Their sharp and quick play set the tone for the match, while the defensive duo of Reena Divya and Jamie Lim stifled Canada’s attack, to end the quarter with a 19-6 score.
Singapore’s dominance continued throughout the match, with the Singapore Vandas’ shooting end consistently scoring at least 18 goals per quarter. The defensive unit, including Sindhu Nair who marked her 50th international cap in this match – restricted Canada to just six goals or fewer per quarter.
Chahal, who achieved an impressive 98% shooting accuracy, missing just one attempt in the second quarter, reflected on the team’s performance: “We’re quite happy with our game today. Although we had a slower start with a few mistakes, I’m glad we were able to recover and improve as the match progressed.”
Looking ahead to tomorrow’s match against the Republic of Ireland, she added, “We’ll need to execute sharper runs and make better passes. Ireland has taller and bigger players, so we’ll have to be more clinical in our play.”
Head coach Annette Bishop, while pleased with the victory, emphasised the need for continued improvement. “Being the first game, there were some nerves and basic errors. We need to address these and tighten up our play because it’s going to be a long week. Teams like the UAE, Ireland, and Kenya will make us pay if we don’t improve.”
Kenya and UAE Impress in Nations Cup Debuts
In their first-ever Nations Cup appearance, Kenya earned a solid 64-31 victory over Ireland. The Kenyan team demonstrated their physicality and agility throughout the match, with shooters Lydia Atieno Nyapere and Dorine Akinyi Onyango combining for an impressive 94% shooting accuracy.
Kenya’s captain Parin Nasambu Simiyu, commented on the win: “The match wasn’t easy, but we expected to come and play hard. We thank God we won the match as Ireland gave us some challenges as they are a strong team.”
In the final game of the day, UAE secured a 65-41 win over Singapore A, the Netball Singapore Development team. UAE surged ahead early with a 21-9 lead after the first quarter. Though Singapore A fought back in the second quarter, winning 14-12, UAE regained control in the final two quarters to secure the victory.
UAE captain Carly Lewis expressed satisfaction with her team’s performance: “It was a great game. I thought they pushed us right till the end. It was a good opportunity for us to run some combinations today and mix up our play a little. Obviously, we’ve got lots of different teams and lots of different styles over the coming week. So it was good for us to run different things and just be confident in our set plays. We’ll go back to the drawing board tonight, and we’ll work hard again ahead of Kenya tomorrow.”
Final Scores:
Singapore vs Canada: 78-20
Kenya vs Ireland: 64-31
UAE vs Singapore A: 65-41
Fixtures For Tomorrow:
3pm SGT: Kenya vs UAE
5pm SGT: Singapore A vs Canada
7pm SGT: Ireland vs Singapore
