From Netball Singapore…
SINGAPORE VANDAS BOUNCE BACK WITH VICTORY OVER SINGAPORE A AT THE MIRXES NATIONS CUP
The Singapore Vandas showcased an improved performance on Day 4 of the Mirxes Nations Cup, bouncing back to defeat the Singapore A team 59-37.
Singapore A, the development team of Netball Singapore featuring mainly U23 players, put up a strong fight in the first half, keeping the goal difference between the teams to just six goals.
In the third quarter, the Singapore Vandas elevated their game, scoring seven unanswered goals at the start of the period. They continued their impressive performance throughout the third quarter, ending the period with a 19-6 quarter score. Despite Singapore A’s push in the final quarter, the Singapore Vandas secured the game with a fourth-quarter victory, resulting in an overall 22-goal win.
Goal Attack Goh Wei Ping, who shot impressively today at 91%, remarked: “We have been training together a lot because a number of them are part of the Opens team now. The Singapore A team have really a lot of potential, as you can see from today. So, the future of Singapore Netball is definitely bright and kudos to them for giving us such a great fight today.”
United Arab Emirates Remains Unbeaten
In the most thrilling match of the tournament so far, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) edged out Ireland in a nail-biting contest, winning 52-50.
Ireland started the match strongly, giving the unbeaten UAE a tough challenge. Any errors from UAE were effectively capitalized on by Ireland’s attack, allowing Ireland to take a halftime lead of 26-24.
However, the momentum shifted in the third quarter, as Ireland committed more unforced errors, which UAE capitalised on to win the quarter 14-10, securing the lead going into the final quarter.
In an exciting final 15 minutes, the match remained neck-and-neck. Despite Ireland winning the final quarter, UAE managed to hold on for an overall two-goal victory.
Captain Carly Lewis, the most capped player on the UAE team, reflected: “Ireland came out really hard today, and I think we were on the back foot pretty early. We managed to pull through, but it was just neck-and-neck throughout the whole game. It was a real physical, mental, and emotional game for both teams today. But credit to the Republic of Ireland; that was a really tough game today, so credit to them. But I think we were confident we would pull through in the end, and we did. So it’s a testament to the girls, and I’m really proud of them.”
Kenya Ruthless Against Canada
Kenya continued their strong form from the previous day, dominating Canada with a resounding 79-14 victory.
The African team came out firing from the start, putting up 48 goals while holding Canada to just nine by halftime. Although Canada showed more resistance in the second half, Kenya’s dominance was clear, ending the match with a 65-goal victory.
After the match, Head Coach Ali Mugisha said: “The morale of the players and the coaching staff is high. I think after the first defeat (to UAE), we went back to the drawing board and restructured and regrouped and came back to winning ways. We hope to continue winning and achieving our goals and targets.”
The Mirxes Nations Cup will continue at the OCBC Arena (Hall 1) until 7 September. Tickets are available for purchase through Ticketmaster.
For more information on the Mirxes Nations Cup, follow Netball Singapore (@netballsingapore) on social media for the latest updates.
Final Scores:
Ireland vs UAE: 50-52
Canada vs Kenya: 14-79
Singapore vs Singapore A: 59-37
Fixtures For Friday, 6 Sept:
3pm SGT: Singapore A vs Kenya
5pm SGT: Canada vs Ireland
7pm SGT: Singapore vs UAE
