Singapore crash out of the Fisher & Paykel Nations Cup 2008 after defeat by Botswana

Story by REDintern Christy Ong. Photos by REDintern Vanessa Lim and Les Tan/Red Sports

Toa Payoh Sports Hall, September 5, 2008 – Defending champions Singapore crashed out of the Fisher and Paykel Nations Cup 2008 after a 45-54 defeat by African guests Botswana. Although Singapore played their hearts out, they ultimately lost out to a more polished Botswana.

It was a do-or-die game for Singapore. Having lost to Papua New Guinea earlier, Singapore needed a 30-point margin win in order to secure a place in the final or a defeat of less than 6 points to get into the 3rd placing match. Perhaps the importance of the match placed undue pressure on the Singapore players as they started the match rather shakily.

Botswana had a good head start with their accurate shooting. The Africans played the game at a much faster pace, wowing Singapore with their strong passes and exposing the holes in the Singapore defence. Dropped balls and weak passes didn’t help Singapore’s cause and it wasn't long before Botswana had a comfortable lead of 8-3.

Nonetheless, Singapore were not going to give up just yet. Co-captain and Goal Keeper (GK) Jean Ng and Goal Defence (GD) Zhang Ting Jun worked seamlessly in the defence and thwarted Botswana's attacks to gain possession of the ball. Goal Attacker (GA) Chen Huifen also did not disappoint and managed to earn points for the team through her deadly shooting. It wasn't long before Singapore managed to close the gap and finished the first quarter one point ahead of Botswana at 13-12.

With the lead, Singapore started the 2nd quarter with more confidence. Minimal changes were made to the Singapore team with only Centre (C) Ang Shi Qi being replaced by Li Huilin. Botswana aggressiveness cost them possession of the ball and Singapore promptly capitalized on the opportunities to score goals. Goal Shooter (GS) Rachel Yim also finally found her footing in the game with great shots that widened Singapore's lead. It wasn't long before Singapore were four points up at 17-13. However, Botswana clawed their way back to 22-22 and it wasn't long before they pulled ahead of Singapore. It was unfortunate for Singapore that many of the scoring chances they had were not converted into goals whereas Botswana had perfect finishes.

Morale was at an all-time low for the Singapore team as crucial points were lost due to near-misses at the net and positional changes were made in a bid to stage a comeback. GS Rachel Yim was replaced by a more experienced Tan Hui Yan and GD Zhang Ting Jun was substituted out for Melody Teo. Although the changes helped the Singapore team, Botswana were simply not going to relinquish their 10-point lead easily. Botswana eventually finished the game 54-45 winners, a nine-point margin that cost Singapore a place even in the 3rd placing match.

Although Singapore lost the match, I was still pretty impressed at how the game was played especially by Wing Attack (WA) Pearline Chan, Wing Defence (WD) Grace Sim and GK Jean Ng as they showed no signs of fatigue despite playing the match from beginning till the end and their dedication to the game.

Spectators of the match also agreed that Singapore played a good game. Rachel, who is from the North Vista Secondary School netball team pointed out, "Botswana could not play to their utmost potential as Singapore had effectively stopped their speed. Singapore could have won but lost due to some mistakes here and there."

Co-captain Pearline Chan had a positive outlook on the game too, "I am very pleased with how the new members of the squad played. They are young and have developed a lot this week. We have only been together for four months so this is an important stepping stone for us and we are all working hard towards the Asian Championships and ultimately towards the World Netball Championships here in 2011."

Yes, I believe that we will see a much stronger team in the future having learnt from failure. And I believe that in 2011 the non-stop cheering of "S-I-N-G-A-P-O-R-E" by the Singaporeans supporters will ring out from the stands with a louder voice.