The playoff for 15th spot has seen Singapore beat Sri Lanka 59-32 on Day 10 at Netball Central.Both sides were desperate to finish on a positive note, in what has been a tough tournament for each nation.
After the teams traded shots early on in the first quarter, Charmaine Soh put Singapore ahead with a flurry of goals. Goal keeper Li Li Chen was also impressive, making some great deflections in defence for Singapore. However Sri Lanka kept in touch through some accurate shooting from Thishala Algama, who scored all of her side’s goals in the first quarter. The fluent passing from Singapore around the circle was impressive, as Sri Lanka were unable to shut down centre Nurul Baizura and wing attack Kimberley Lim. The Singapore midcourt pair caused havoc with their agility, as their energy helped put their side in front 16-8 at quarter time.
Singapore continued to press well in the second quarter and soon lead by 15 goals. Sri Lanka was unable to find any consistent rhythm, making numerous substitutions in the first half in an effort to find a stable combination. Wayward passes hurt Sri Lanka, with Singapore capitalising well on the mistakes. Thilini Waththegedara was moving quickly across all areas of the court, as she lifted her running game in an attempt to spark Sri Lanka. However Singapore continued to dominate, with Soh and goal attack Huifen Chen missing only two shots between them in the quarter. At half-time Singapore led 36-12.
Singapore made a couple of changes for the third quarter, with Olivia Flanagan and Pamela Liew replacing Premila Hirubalan and Huifen Chen respectively. Sri Lanka’s Gayani Dissanayake was having a good game at goal defence, leading her team for intercepts and deflections. Sri Lanka led early in the quarter before the Singapore attack clicked up a gear, with Baizura and Lim continuing to provide good service around the circle. At the final break, Singapore had extended the margin to lead 49-21.
The substitutions kept coming for Singapore, as coach Ruth Aitken rotated her bench in the final quarter to give her team some time on court. Sri Lankan goal shooter Hasitha Mendis shot accurately in the second half, netting 14 goals. Soh netted her 40th goal late in the match, despite some wayward shots creeping into her game. Although Sri Lanka won the last quarter, Singapore ran out comfortable victors 59-32.
Sri Lankan coach Deepthi Alwis believes her team performed well considering the short time they have spent together as a squad.
“The tournament was positive. Our girls got good experience and they enjoyed it. Our team has practised for 2 months only [before the World Cup]. I am happy with the experience.”
Kimberley Lim says she is happy with how Singapore was able to end their tournament on a high.
“We knew it was our last game and although we could have done better in the tournament, we wanted to finish on a good note. So I think everyone did well in both attack and defence, we really enjoyed ourselves.”
Lim believes her own game has improved as well.
“I guess I had a slow start coming in but definitely going through the games and playing against higher ranked teams I have learnt a lot.”
She had high praise for coach Ruth Aitken, and says she has added composure to the team.
“She has brought a new dynamic to the team, she is very trusting of the team… she always reminds us that she has confidence in us and just to play our game.”
