SYDNEY, Australia, CMC – All three Caribbean teams were beaten on the second day of competition in the Netball World Cup in Sydney yesterday.
England edged Jamaica while Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados suffered huge losses against New Zealand and Australia respectively.
Following comfortable wins on the opening day both Jamaica and England were fighting to maintain the Pool B lead. But England took a four goal win over the Sunshine Girls to confirm their status as World Cup title contenders.
Jamaica, led by goal shooter Romelda Aiken, took a 14-11 first quarter lead and doubled their score by the half interval. With Jhaniele Flower-Reid replacing Aiken, England stormed back to outscore their opponents 16-9 and take the lead 39-37 in the third quarter.
The Jamaicans were relentless but England held onto their narrow lead to seal an important 54-50 win.
Aiken finished with 27 from 29 and goal attack Shanice Beckford 17 from 20 for Jamaica. Joanne Harten 37 from 46 and Helen Housby 11 from 13 led the way for England.
Trinidad & Tobago, who lost to the hosts on the opening day, were no match to New Zealand in their Pool A match.
Despite Rhonda John-Davis becoming the highest test-capped player of the tournament with 150 games for the Calypso Girls, the milestone did not stop the Silver Ferns from a second straight victory.
Goal shoot Samantha Wallace 24 from 31 and attacker Joelisa Cooper nine from 11 led the shooting for Trinidad & Tobago but New Zealand led in all quarters 16-12, 37-25, 56-33 and finally 74-38 for the win.
In the other Pool match, the Barbadians were no match to Australia as they were limited to single digits scores in the quarters.
The Australian Diamonds restricted the Bajan Gems to three goals in the first quarter (20-3) and extended their lead 38-7, 61-11 and 83-16 for a 67-goal margin of victory.
Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados clash on Sunday with Jamaica playing Scotland on Monday to determine who will join England as the second team to advance from Pool B.
