Netball Nations Cup: Singapore in control as they brush aside Papua New Guinea 54-36

By Stefanus Ian/Red Sports. Photos by Lim Weixiang, Low Hui Yu, Vanessa Lim/Red Sports

Toa Payoh Stadium, Tuesday, December 6, 2011 — Singapore controlled the match from start to finish as they recorded a comfortable 54-36 victory over Papua New Guinea in the Netball Nations Cup.

Singapore’s grip on the game was evident but the injury to Papua New Guinea’s Michelle Gietzel contributed to the ease of Singapore’s victory.

It has been an impressive start for the host nation, having now recorded two wins from two games.

Shelby Koh, despite being the youngest in the team, was definitely not out of place. Her industry as the team’s Wing Attack was prominent. If the 17-year-old was nervous, she certainly did not show it during the four quarters that she played.

Our girls are now well on course for a top half finish with the latest victory.

In a play that epitomised the match, Cassandra Soh, Singapore’s starting Goal Shooter, went up for a rebound and after losing her balance on her landing, she arched her body and sank an off balance shot to the amazement of the home crowd. Effort, focus and perhaps a little bit of luck were the differences between the two teams.

Kate Carpenter, Singapore’s head coach, was pleased with the result.

“It was a tough match for Singapore. We had different combinations that were more successful than others but all in all we are happy with the result,” she said.

Both sides were evenly matched at the start. After a strong start, the Papua New Guineans took the game to the hosts as they grabbed the lead 5-4. That was the last time the Papua New Guineans had the lead.

With the team trailing, the Singapore captain, Jean Ng, made a brilliant interception to loud cheers from the crowd. The defensive move seemed to galvanise the girls as they retook the lead 6-5.

Despite a delay of almost half an hour for the match to start, the Singaporean girls looked focused on the match. Cassandra, the starting Goal Shooter, was a picture of calm as she scored all of Singapore’s first six points. Size was clearly not an obstacle for the girls in red.

Citing the exposure to overseas competitions, Cassandra was not intimidated by the physicality and the size of her opponents. She felt they just had to “quickly get used to the bodies and work the usual drills.”

With just over a minute left on the clock, disaster struck for the Papua New Guineans. While battling for the ball, Gietzel, their Goal Shooter, twisted her knee as she landed. That signalled the end of her participation in the game. The first 15 minutes ended with Singapore holding a slim 11-10 lead.

Having settled into the game, Singapore upped the tempo in the second quarter. Confidence was high among the players, especially for the attackers. The Papua New Guineans struggled against the dynamic combination of Cassandra Soh and Chen Huifen. What they lacked in size, the Singapore girls made it up in pace and efficiency.

Cassandra continued her hot form, sinking more long shots as Singapore ran away with the lead to close the second quarter leading 27-18. It seemed clear that without Gietzel, Papua New Guinea’s offense found it difficult against the experienced Singapore defense of Jean Ng and Lin Qingyi.

Singapore started the second half with fresh faces on the court, notably the substitution of Cassandra Soh with Yu Meiling.

Sensing that the game was slipping away from them, the Papua New Guineans came out fighting in the second half. But their overeagerness led to their downfall. With added urgency, their passing became more sloppy and looked forced at times, leading to turnovers. The game also became much more physical.

Singapore’s lead also started to shrink as Yu struggled to replicate Soh’s shooting and their lead was cut to just five at one point in the game.

The scoreboard showed Singapore leading 35-29 as the final quarter began. Sensing a shift in momentum, Kate Carpenter sent on Cassandra. Soon Singapore were in control again, dictating play and extending their lead.

Despite trailing for most of the match, Lua Rikis, Papua New Guinea’s captain, never lost her fighting spirit. She battled hard for every ball and often shouted at her teammates to keep their spirits up. The Papua New Guineans, however, were unable to keep up with the home team as turnovers started piling up.

Having lost the game as well as her Goal Shooter, Pole Kassman, the Papua New Guinean head coach was not very pleased with the outcome. Apart from the loss of Gietzel, she felt that the inexperience of the younger players eventually led to the disappointing loss.

“I’m not very happy about the result of the match. I think we lost the game rather than they won it,” she said.

She was confident that her charges would bounce back from the loss saying, “This will be our last loss.”

Singapore will next play against Namibia on Wednesday, December 7th, at the Toa Payoh Indoor Stadium at 8.00pm.