Malaysia beat Ireland 58-44, while Botswana defeat Singapore A team 50-31 on Day 2
PHOTO: NETALL SINGAPORE
SINGAPORE, 5 December 2022 – Singapore’s netball team kept their Fijian opponents on their toes throughout most of their Nations Cup 2022 clash on Monday (5 Dec), but eventually succumbed 60-53 at the OCBC Arena. The other matches of the day saw Malaysia beat Ireland 58-44, while Botswana defeated the Singapore A team 50-31.
Hosts Singapore and Fiji both started off strong but the latter were the sharper of the two from the beginning. Trailing 11-15 at the end of the first quarter, Singapore fought to catch up and both sides continued to press each other. But a botched pass from Singapore at 24-27 proved to be costly – Fiji moved further ahead to lead 32-28 at half-time.
PHOTO: NETALL SINGAPORE
Singapore were relentless in attack and kept the pressure on their opponents. Two goals from shooter Amandeep Kaur Chahal in the last three minutes of the third quarter saw Singapore lead 42-41, and the quarter ended with the score locked at 44-44. But Fiji put up an aggressive performance in the final quarter and, coupled with untimely mistakes from Singapore, recorded their first win of the tournament.
Singapore centre Angelina Lim said: “It’s definitely disappointing as we were so close to getting a win, and it took us a lot of effort to draw the game in the third quarter. It's not over yet, we just need to keep winning the subsequent games from tomorrow. We did make a few mistakes in the last quarter, maybe there were nerves or anxiety and it got to us. So we need to know how to settle down, especially when we don’t have much time left, and make every pass count.”
PHOTO: NETALL SINGAPORE
In the first match of the day, Malaysia defeated Ireland in an entertaining encounter that saw both sides exchange leads multiple times throughout a tight first half. The first quarter ended 14-13 in Malaysia’s favour, and Ireland caught up to go up 27-25 at half-time. Malaysia started strong to regain the lead in the third, though their opponents were never far behind as they kept the goal deficit to just one.
But a missed attempt from the Ireland shooting side as they trailed 34-35 allowed Malaysia defender Ashwinii A/P Kali Tass to pounce on the rebound and give her team the chance to extend their lead. Malaysia entered the final quarter up 43-37 and remained in imperious form, pulling ahead with a seven-goal spree that all but secured victory.
Malaysia coach Choo Kon Lee was pleased that her charges bounced back well from their opening day loss to the Singapore A team. She said: “We stuck to our game plan today, which is to be strong in getting the ball, and they did a good job today – the shooters were amazing. For the attackers, I needed them to come forward for the ball and not wait for the ball. I told them to get the ball and feed the shooters. The shooters were very good in holding the defenders and this way they could get the ball easily.”
PHOTO: NETALL SINGAPORE
Singapore A team overpowered by Botswana
The Singapore A team gave a strong fight but were ultimately overpowered by Botswana in a high-speed, high-intensity game. The home side were marked closely by their opponents throughout the match, with Botswana’s defenders a menace to the Singapore A shooters.
Singapore A captain Aqilah Andin said: “The intensity was very high, but it was consistent throughout the game. We gave them a very good fight, I think they didn’t expect us to come up as hard as we did, and we managed to delay their attacking as well. We came into the match expecting a very tough one and it was, and the team did well.”
PHOTO: NETALL SINGAPORE
The 26-year-old defender is making her return to netball after giving birth in July. Her last competitive outing was in 2019, and Aqilah is enjoying her comeback. “It’s just about getting my movement back again, because some of it is still pretty awkward. I love netball so much – it’s something that I’ve been very passionate about since I was young. I’m loving the time I have right now and it’s a great opportunity for me and the Singapore A team to compete and play against international teams.”
PHOTO: NETALL SINGAPORE
The action continues at the OCBC Arena on 6 December, with the fixtures as follows.
3pm - Ireland vs Singapore A
5pm - Fiji vs Malaysia
7pm - Botswana vs Singapore
The 14th edition of the Nations Cup features six teams from five countries: 2011 champions Fiji, Ireland, Malaysia, Botswana, two-time champions Singapore, and a Singapore A team. The tournament will be played in a round robin format, with the top two teams advancing to the finals.
Tickets are available for purchase at this link here.