Third win on the trot for netballers

SINGAPORE – National head coach Ruth Aitken got the exact reply she wanted from her charges yesterday as Singapore’s netballers bounced back from their draw against arch rivals Malaysia with a resounding victory over the Philippines.

Singapore, who are the reigning Asian Champions, played a consistent game and put the ball into the net almost routinely against the Philippines and took the game 84-12.

It was a stark contrast to the game on Tuesday against SEA Games defending champions Malaysia, where Singapore led for three-quarters of the match only to throw the game away in the final 15 minutes and draw 35-35.

“The scoreboard said it all. I think we delivered on consistency – something I haven’t seen before (in this tournament). Hopefully we can maintain that consistency and just ready ourselves for the finals,” said Aitken.

In yesterday’s other fixture, Malaysia beat Brunei 82-24, as Malaysia’s chef-de-mission Norza Zakaria said he is confident that they can achieve the gold medal target set by Malaysia’s National Sports Council director-general Ahmad Shapawi Ismail, who is eager to justify netball’s inclusion for the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur.

“If we take gold, it will be have a very big impact back home as it can spur the development of netball in Malaysia, and they can be the icons of all the younger generation of netballers at home.” ADELENE WONG