Netball: Singapore beat Namibia 43-41 to remain eligible for Nations Cup final

Story by Chan Hui Mui/Red Sports. Photos by Vanessa Lim/Red Sports

Toa Payoh Sports Hall, Wednesday, December 8, 2010 — Singapore experienced a roller coaster ride before edging out Namibia 43–41 to keep their hopes of a final alive in the 2010 Netball Nations Cup.

“(In the last few seconds of the game), I thought I was going to have a stroke soon. The game is a bit too exciting for my liking,” joked Premila Hirubalan, one of the key defenders of the team.

Jumping out of the gate faster than Namibia who were making their maiden appearance in the Nations Cup, the hosts had an early 6-3 lead. However, when Namibia settled down, they went for a 5-0 run to steal the lead. Sloppy passes and poor catches by Singapore gave their opponents no difficulty in intercepting the passes.

With Nambia opening the second quarter with a 13-8 lead, Singapore struggled to break Namibia’s momentum. Namibia further extended the lead to 17-9, before Singapore’s defenders finally found a solution to interrupting Namibia’s attacking flow to go on an 8-0 run to level the score at 17 a piece.

Namibia then slowed down the pace of the gameto convert some goals to wrap up second quarter to lead 20-19.

The Africans were unstoppable in the first few minutes of third quarter, with swift movement and slick passing giving them a 28-22 lead.

During one of the injury timeouts, Singapore made changes to their attacking lineup which made the difference. The adjusted lineup surprised Namibia’s defence and went on a 9-1 run to take a 31-29 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Singapore continued to pressure Namibia’s attackers, forcing several errors from the Africans, to extend the lead to 41-33. However, Singapore suddenly lost their focus, committing several unforced errors.

Namibia capitalized to narrow the deficit to one point with time running out. With less than a minute to go, Singapore managed to keep calm enough to wrap up the game 43-41.

Singapore’s coach, Kate Carpenter, was happy with the victory.

“(The game) was great as we came from behind. It was a well-deserved win. Our strong runs towards the ball, and we did not hesitate to pass, helped us. Consistency in shooting aided us too.”

Nurul Baizura, 20, had her third international cap today and played throughout the whole game. Shared Nurul: “I did not expect to play all four quarters. I am happy with the win as I did not want to sit down during the team talk with my head down. I focused on improving myself today from the mistakes I made yesterday and the seniors have helped me a lot today.”