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You can watch all the games on Netball Singapore’s Facebook page or YouTube account…
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: 65-41Fixtures For Tomorrow:
3pm SGT: Kenya vs UAE
5pm SGT: Singapore A vs Canada
7pm SGT: Ireland vs SingaporeFrom Netball Singapore…
SINGAPORE VANDAS EARN SECOND WIN OF THE MIRXES NATIONS CUP WITH VICTORY OVER IRELAND
The Singapore Vandas secured their second win of the 2024 Mirxes Nations Cup, defeating Ireland 62-52.
Despite a shaky start from the shooting combination of Goal Shooter Lee Pei Shan and Amandeep Chahal, Singapore applied relentless defensive pressure throughout the court, establishing an impressive 21-7 lead in the first quarter. The Vandas extended their advantage with a second-quarter score of 15-11.
However, consistency proved elusive in the second half, as Ireland posed a tougher challenge, and Singapore struggled with several missed shots and unforced errors. While Ireland won the final two quarters, 16-15 and 18-11, it wasn’t enough to overcome Singapore’s strong start, and the Vandas ultimately secured a 10-goal victory.
Post-match, co-captain Toh Kai Wei said: “Compared to yesterday, today we had a better start, but then just we couldn’t sustain throughout the quarters itself. I think our shots, compared to yesterday, weren’t that great. Maybe it’s the focus of the team but that’s definitely something that we want to tidy up throughout; to maintain the focus, and consistency throughout the whole game.”
Reflecting on the team’s performance, head coach Annette Bishop said: “We need to ensure that we adjust a lot quicker. We were lucky we had that good start. But in saying that, there were a few different combinations we tried, and it was about us working through those sticky moments and still being able to put the goal in the end.”
United Arab Emirates earn second win of the Mirxes Nations Cup
In the day’s first match, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) earned a hard-fought 44-37 victory over Kenya.
Both teams started nervously, unable to capitalise on each other’s errors, with UAE narrowly edging the first quarter 12-11. UAE’s shooting duo, Goal Shooter Charlie Preston and Goal Attack Eleanor Smith, gradually found their rhythm, overcoming Kenya’s physical defence. Meanwhile, Kenya’s attack struggled against UAE’s solid defensive trio of Goal Keeper Fiona Van Dam, Goal Defence Nicole Sproul, and Wing Defence Alana Farrell-Morton.
Preston, who shot an impressive 97%, missing just one attempt, reflected on the game: “It was a really good game today. It was very physical, and it was a different style of play—something we haven’t come across. I feel we took it as an opportunity to learn and just develop as players. But it was tough out there.”
UAE head coach Deborah Jones praised her team’s effort: “They had to work really hard for that win. Kenya are a tough outfit and they never gave up. I think that was really difficult, and I said to the girls before we started that they would have to build pressure throughout the game to capitalise on any turnovers they had. I was really proud of their performance.”
Singapore A Secure First Tournament Win Against Canada
In the second match of the day, Singapore A claimed their first victory of the tournament, defeating Canada 60-35.
Both teams showed marked improvement, but Singapore A demonstrated greater consistency over the 60 minutes, winning every quarter.
Co-captain Norah Paul Gabriel expressed her satisfaction with the team’s performance: “Today’s team’s performance was good. I’m really proud of the team. The goal was to build from yesterday’s game, and I think we executed that well. Our mindset is to play our best and capitalise on our strengths while working on our weaknesses.”
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:
Kenya vs UAE: 37-44
Singapore A vs Canada: 60-35
Ireland vs Singapore: 52-62Fixtures For Tomorrow:
3pm SGT: UAE vs Canada
5pm SGT: Ireland vs Singapore A
7pm SGT: Singapore vs Kenya -
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