Netball Nations Cup: Singapore secure third win against Namibia

Story by Koh Yizhe/Red Sports. Photos by Vanessa Lim and Low Hui Yu/Red Sports

Toa Payoh Sports Hall, Wednesday, December 7, 2011 — It was their toughest test yet, but Singapore passed it as they defeated a stubborn Namibia 53-43 to maintain their 100% record in the 2011 Netball Nations Cup.

It was their third win in as many games but, unlike the other matches they won comfortably, Singapore had to work their socks off in every quarter to keep their African opponents at bay. Edging each quarter, Singapore accumulated a double-digit lead by the end of the game.

“It was a different kind of win than [sic] the other two matches. It was a hard win,” said Singapore’s head coach Kate Carpenter.

“We had to inch ahead in each quarter and work at keeping the lead. I think we have been doing very well throughout the tournament. We have three wins and things are progressing really well.”

Fresh from their narrow victory over Malaysia the previous day, Namibia were full of confidence heading into their encounter with Singapore. The home side, however, were the ones who took the lead.

Singapore raced to a 10-4 lead with sharp shooting inside the goal circle from Goal Attack Chen Huifen and Goal Shooter Cassandra Soh.

But Namibia stormed right back, tying the game with a 6-0 run with two minutes 30 seconds left in the quarter. Singapore got their act together just before the interval to take a slender 13-11 lead into the second quarter.

Much of the same followed in the second quarter as Singapore maintained their advantage. Save for a brief moment at the start of the quarter when Namibia levelled the match, Singapore upped their passing accuracy around the goal circle, with 17-year-old Wing Attack Shelby Koh playing a crucial role.

This allowed the world number 21 to extend their lead to five goals at 26-21 heading into the half-time interval.

The introduction of Charlene Porima after the restart stabilized Singapore’s defence and they played with more urgency.

Outstanding performances from the defensive pairing of the co-captains Jean Ng and Micky Lin forced multiple turnovers by the Namibians. The turnovers allowed Singapore more chances at goal, putting the hosts in firm control.

In the final quarter, Singapore’s shooters were flawless in front of goal. 21-year-old Cassandra Soh made all of her 11 attempts while Chen Huifen was also perfect with her three shots.

Their efforts extended Singapore’s lead to double digits in the final minute of play and gave Namibia no chance at a comeback, sealing the victory 53-43.

“We knew Singapore was going to be hard,” said Namibia head coach Marcha Myburgh. “We tried to keep calm, but they were too good. The Singapore shooters were really good today. We did match them in the quarters, but we had difficulty with the ball.

“All credit to Singapore, though. They played really well.”

Singapore now top the table alongside the highly-ranked Fiji, who they play in their next match. The hosts will be looking for revenge after being left heart-broken in their extra-time defeat to the world number eight Fijians in the World Netball Championship earlier this year.

“The match against Fiji is the one I’m looking forward to the most,” commented Singapore captain Micky Lin. “We’ll see what we did right against them in our previous match and try to repeat that again. It will be a different kind of game than [sic] the ones we have played, but we have individuals to cope with different styles of play.”

“It is up to the coach to decide what will work best for us against them.”