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NWC nominated for Best Event of 2023 award

Organisers of the Netball World Cup 2023 have reacted with pride at the news that the tournament has been shortlisted for the Sports Business Awards in the “Best Sporting Event of the Year 2023” category.

World Netball’s flagship event, the Netball World Cup, was staged on African soil for the first time, when South Africa played host to the 2023 competition at Cape Town’s International Convention Centre from 28 July to 6 August.

Australia regained the title when they beat England in the final, while Jamaica claimed the bronze medal.

The chairperson of the Netball World Cup 2023 Board, Patience Shikwambana, expressed her delight at the news of the prestigious award nomination.

“To be shortlisted as best sporting event in the Sports Business Awards is a terrific moment not only for me and our Board but also the Netball World Cup LOC, the fans and country as a whole.

“South Africa has proved time and time again that we are capable of successfully staging the world’s biggest sporting events and it’s a proud moment for me as Board Chairperson to reflect on the success of the Netball World Cup and its important contribution to the promotion, growth and development of netball and sport in South African, Africa and the world.”

In her reaction, the NWC 2023 Tournament Director, Priscilla Masisi, acknowledged: “We are extremely proud to have learnt that the 2023 Netball World Cup has been nominated as the best sporting event of the year in the Sports Business Awards.

“This nomination testifies that my team’s dedicated hard work over the past months in ensuring the success of the tournament is recognised. We must also thank our partners and sponsors who worked hand in hand with us in delivering this tournament. Lastly, the hundreds of volunteers who assisted in servicing each division of the tournament must be applauded for their important part in the overall success of the event. “

In adding her voice to the news of the award nomination, the president of Netball SA and NWC2023 Board member, Cecilia Molokwane, said: “This nomination means a lot to all of us because we did what has never been done before. We hosted a Netball World Cup for the first time in South Africa and the continent, that on its own is a huge success. A nomination on its own is a big enough win for us. On behalf of all the partners, I’d like to thank every single person who played a role in making sure that we deliver what we did – as a country we should be very proud of this achievement.”

The success of the event exceeded expectations and was the culmination of four years of planning by WN, NWC2023 (Local Organising Committee) and Netball South Africa.

Highlights of the event included it having the most successful commercial programme in NWC history. Sponsorship sales were double that achieved for Netball World Cup 2019, whilst rights to broadcast the matches live were sold in all the major netball nations, with fans in all other countries able to sign up to watch on WN’s NetballPass OTT platform.

On social media, some 109,437 social media posts referencing the NWC2023 reached a further 3.3-billion impressions, and social media videos referencing the event generated 12.1-million views.

The impact on the ground was just as great, with 63 free fan parks and 30 viewing centres across the nine South African provinces bringing the event to everyone in the country while the host broadcaster SuperSport also made history as the NWC2023 was recorded and produced by an all-women crew.

Shikwambana concluded: “On behalf of the NWC2023 Board and entire Team, we convey our profound appreciation to all Stakeholders, Partners and Sponsors that enabled the Organising Team and rainbow nation to deliver a successful World Cup. We wouldn’t have made it this far without the guidance, support and assistance from WN, NSA, our Government, Sponsors and all partners. We are forever grateful for the gesture in ensuring that our women staged the best-ever event in South Africa.”

Speaking on the award shortlisting, World Netball CEO, Clare Briegal, said: “We are thrilled that the Netball World Cup 2023 has been shortlisted for such a prestigious award.

“Africa was the only continent yet to host a Netball World Cup, and by awarding the right to host the Netball World Cup 2023 to Netball South Africa, World Netball demonstrated its commitment to delivering growth.

“Netball SA, the NWC2023 Local Organising Committee, and the whole of Africa embraced this opportunity and staged an incredible Netball World Cup opening up netball to a wider audience than ever before. Thank you to everyone involved who made it a true success.”

NWC2023 trailblazers sign off Women’s Month

As South Africa signed off the month of August, on which was officially labelled Women’s Month, a Netball World Cup 2023 nomination for the prestigious global Sports Business Awards provided the ultimate endorsement of faith in the ability of at least five leading sports figures in the country.

All of whom are women, trailblazers as they continue to push back the boundaries and reach new heights.

Patience Shikwambana, Sumayya Khan, Priscilla Masisi, Cecilia Molokwane and Blanche de le Guerre were integral to the success of the Netball World Cup 2023, which was staged in Cape Town from 28 July to 6 August. This was the first time that the flagship tournament of World Netball had been held on African soil. And these leading women stakeholders in South African sport were integral to the success of the event.

Shikwambana was Chairperson of the NWC2023 Board, flanked by Board members Khan, Molokwane and De le Guerre, while Masisi was the Tournament Director.

The respective roles for Shikwambana, Khan, Molokwane and De le Guerre, away from their NWC duties, are South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) Chief Operating Officer, Deputy Director in the Department of Sport, Netball SA president and Netball SA CEO.

The delivery of the event, which saw it become the most successful Netball World Cup commercially in history, and doubled the sponsorship sales from the 2019 event in Liverpool, was down in no small part to the five leading women of South African sport.

It is fitting that, as the curtain comes down on the month of August, these women are celebrated as captains of the sports industry.

Netball World Cup 2023 celebrates event greening success

Monday, 7 August 2023: The extensive sustainability programme implemented at the Netball World Cup 2023 (NWC2023) has been a resounding success, and delivers a solid baseline for future events, Tournament Director Priscilla Masisi confirms.

“A full carbon footprint and impact report is being produced for the first time in the history of the event, including details of the longer term legacy projects,” she adds.

“This is a complex and dynamic event encompassing a broad scope of activities involving multiple stakeholders. We want to thank the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for providing executive support, and all our partners, service providers, support crews and participants for playing their part in the effort to host a low-carbon tournament, which included a wide range of associated social impact projects.”

One of the major actions of the implementation was a concerted effort to engage and gain buy-in from service providers: from emergency medical services to waste and cleaning crews to the venue operations teams.

All clothing, hats and bags used by support crews and for sale as official merchandise at the main tournament were locally produced, while the venue implements a number of technologies to cut down on water and energy usage. Efficient appliances, lighting, taps and toilets all contribute to this, with live monitoring to ensure proactive management. Multi-bin recycling stations allowed for separation at source, with a goal of diverting at least 80% from landfill through recycling and collecting organic materials for use as animal feed.

Awareness creation received much attention to ensure the positive practices endure beyond the tournament. More than 400 volunteers, officials and support staff were trained in responsible event hosting, and interactive waste stations playfully encouraged waste separation. While the LOC committed to a 10-pillar Sustainability Statement, physical and digital walls allowed individuals and groups to pledge their ongoing support: tournament mascot Letsatsi, scholars, spectators, teams like the SPAR Proteas and Tonga, and even the broadcast team.

“The #pivot4planet campaign has captured the netball community’s attention and we hope NWC2023 marks an increased sense of responsibility to international netball tournaments,” Masisi concludes.

Australia crowned Netball World Cup champions for the 12th time as Jamaica clinch bronze

Australia reclaimed the Netball World Cup after defeating England 61-45 in the final of the tournament at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Sunday. That saw the Diamonds lifting the trophy, which was presented by South African president Cyril Ramaphosa, for a record-extending 12^th time.

Earlier in the evening in the bronze medal playoff, Jamaica defeated New Zealand for the second time in a matter of days to secure their first podium place since 2007.

ENGLAND 45 – 61 AUSTRALIA

Having lost out to New Zealand by just one goal in the last Netball World Cup final in Liverpool four years ago, Australia ensured there would be no repeat scenario when they defeated England 61-45 in the final in Cape Town on Sunday.

England were playing in their first ever Netball World Cup final after beating defending champions New Zealand in the semifinal while the Australians were contesting their ninth consecutive gold-medal match, having never finished lower than second in the tournament’s 60-year history.

Australia came out firing to take a two-goal lead after the opening exchanges, Steph Wood proving to be the creative force for the Diamonds on attack early on. England coach Jess Thirlby responded immediately, bringing on Fran Williams for Layla Guscoth at goal defence. The move proved an effective one with the Roses managing to close the gap and equalise at 12-12, but throwing away their opportunity to edge in front while the Australians were doing well to hold onto their possession. There was nothing to separate the teams by the first break, however, as they finished the quarter all square on 13-13.

It was the Diamonds who looked more in control after the break, showing patience to work their way around the England defence. While the Roses continued to work hard on turning ball over, they weren’t always capitalising on those opportunities that had been created, thanks to some solid defence from Jo Weston at goal defence and Courtney Bruce at goalkeeper.

That saw the Diamonds edging ahead and taking a four-goal lead into halftime.

When the sides met on Thursday in their final group game in Cape Town, which England won by one goal, the Australians enjoyed a six-goal lead at halftime and would have been wary of letting that slip again.

True to form, the Diamonds had clearly learned from their mistakes, putting their foot down in the third quarter and looking like they were one step ahead of the Roses throughout. Their connections looked smooth and their confidence was rising, making them even more dangerous on attack. Thirlby continued to make multiple changes to the England lineup, and while there were moments of individual brilliance from the Roses, that did little to slow the flow of Australian goals. Kiera Austin scored as the whistle sounded to ensure her side went into the final break 10 goals up.

That was always going to be an unlikely gap to bridge in just 15 minutes for England who, to their credit, continued to fight until the final whistle. But with the Australians within grasp of the title they last won in 2015, the world’s top-ranked side simply continued to do what they do best, steadily building on their advantage to ensure they lifted the trophy for a record 12^th time.

SCORES

Q1: 13-13

Q2: 23-27 (10-14)

Q3: 36-46 (13-19)

Q4: 45-61 (9-15)

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Kiera Austin (Australia)

NEW ZEALAND 45 – 52 JAMAICA

The Sunshine Girls gave their nation even more to celebrate on Jamaican Independence Day when they defeated five-time champions New Zealand to claim the bronze medal at the Netball World Cup in Cape Town on Sunday.

Jamaica have played in six World Cup bronze medal matches since 1991 and won three of them but all of those victories have come against England. This time they were up against a Silver Ferns side still reeling from a draw against hosts South Africa and then a semifinal defeat at the hands of England.

The Jamaicans were boosted by the fact that they had claimed their first ever Netball World Cup victory over the Silver Ferns three days earlier and on Sunday they were determined to secure their second.

Both teams came out with plenty to prove and the battle was fierce from the start. The Silver Ferns were dealt a blow when wing attack Gina Crampton was helped off the court after rolling her ankle just two and a half minutes into the match. She was replaced by Whitney Souness and the New Zealanders promptly scored three unanswered goals to edge in front.

It was a gap they held onto for much of the opening period before the Jamaicans finally managed to equalise at 10-10. Two excellent intercepts from the Jamaican defence, first goalkeeper Shamera Sterling and then goal defence Jodi-Ann Ward, gave the Sunshine Girls the opportunity to edge ahead. Despite some risky high balls into goal shooter Jhaniele Fowler in the circle, which had cost them in their semifinal loss to Australia, the Jamaicans went into the break three goals up.

Te Paea Selby-Rickit replaced Maiai Wilson at goal shooter for New Zealand at the start of the second quarter while Adean Thomas came on at centre for Jamaica a few minutes later, replacing Nicole Dixon-Rochester. Later in the period New Zealand captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio was also taken off after conceding several turnovers, with Tiana Metuarau taking her place at goal attack.

It was the defensive units on both sides that ensured there was no real flow achieved for either team. A low-scoring, evenly contested period was the result as Jamaica just held onto their lead heading into the halftime break.

The Jamaicans found their momentum in the third period as New Zealand coach Noeline Taurua rang in several more changes for her side. The Sunshine Girls racked up a run of six unanswered goals to surge ahead and win the championship quarter by three goals.

With a first bronze medal since 2007 within their grasp, the Jamaicans held their nerve to stay out in front in the final quarter to wrap up a 52-45 win and send the defending champions home empty-handed for the first time in Netball World Cup history.

Speaking after the match, a thrilled Jamaican wing attack Khadijah Williams said: “I’m feeling great but I’m not over the performance yesterday [in the semifinal] yet but I’m extremely pleased with today.

“It’s been an extremely difficult eight games in 10 days but I am also extremely grateful and I’m very proud of my teammates.”

New Zealand defender Karin Burger said: “I think it’s amazing to see how far netball has come that there are so many competitive teams out there putting their hands up.

“We put ourselves out there and we have high standards and obviously, this is not good enough. But we are acknowledging the other teams, they have played amazing netball, so big ups to the ones that are going to take that podium. We’ve got work to do and if this is a taste of what the next four years are going to look like, bring it on.”

SCORES

Q1: 11-14

Q2: 21-24 (10-10)

Q3: 32-38 (1-14)

Q4: 45-52 (13-14)

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Jodi-Ann Ward (Jamaica)

Final placings at the Netball World Cup 2023:

Gold – Australia

Silver – England

Bronze – Jamaica

04. New Zealand

05. Uganda

06. South Africa

07. Malawi

08. Tonga

09. Wales

10. Scotland

11. Fiji

12. Trinidad & Tobago

13. Zimbabwe

14. Barbados

15. Singapore

16. Sri Lanka

Uganda stun South Africa to secure fifth spot while Malawi finish seventh

An inspired Ugandan side stunned hosts South Africa, beating them by two goals to secure fifth spot at the Netball World Cup 2023 in Cape Town on Sunday. In the playoff for seventh place it was Malawi who got the better of Tonga.

SOUTH AFRICA 47 – 49 UGANDA

Hosts South Africa played Uganda in an all-African showdown for fifth place at the Netball World Cup on Sunday. While the Proteas secured a two-goal victory over the She Cranes in their final group game just three days earlier, the rising Ugandans got the better of them in the same fifth-place playoff almost a year ago to the day at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Coming into the match, Uganda were already guaranteed their highest ever finish at a Netball World Cup – their previous best being seventh place in 2019 – and they took another massive step up in 2023, dethroning the South Africans as the top side in Africa to secure fifth spot with a 49-47 victory on Sunday.

The Ugandans came out showing their intent, turning over the first centre pass and racing to a four-goal lead before the South Africans could register on the scoreboard. Multiple unforced errors from the jittery Proteas saw them losing unnecessary possession and they spent much of the first period playing catchup. By the first break, the hosts had managed to close that gap to just one goal.

South African coach Norma Plummer switched Bongi Msomi to wing attack and the taller Izette Griesel to centre at the start of the second quarter as the South Africans slowly started swinging the momentum in their favour. But while the defenders earned plenty of turnovers – Jeanté Strydom particularly impressive in stealing two centre passes – the Proteas’ attack struggled to convert those into goals. Uganda continued to throw everything at the home side, with goal attack Shadiah Nassanga eventually receiving a warning for repeated obstruction just before haltftime, which the teams reached all tied up at 23-23.

The She Cranes came out looking the hungrier of the two sides in the third quarter which proved to be the decisive one. They took their time in their own attack, with Mary Cholhok and Irene Eyaru doing the business in the circle, and made the Proteas work hard for their goals.

The Ugandan defence did an excellent job of putting pressure on the usually reliable Nichole Taljaard, the star of South Africa’s draw with New Zealand earlier in the week. The goal attack was not at her best, throwing away plenty of ball and was pressured into taking fewer shots than normal.

Uganda headed into the final break with their noses in front but the Proteas managed to level matters at 40-40. The home team couldn’t push on from there, however. Yet another unforced error from the South Africans allowed Uganda to edge ahead and this time they didn’t look back, surging five goals in front at one stage. The She Cranes still held a two-goal lead heading into the final two minutes, and they slowed things right down, looking to hold on to possession to wind down the clock, and so securing a memorable 49-47 victory.

A thrilled Ugandan coach Fred Mugerwa said afterwards: “The match went the way we wanted it to go. When we went into that match my last words to the players were that we shouldn’t make the mistakes we made in the first match we played against South Africa because we gave them a lot of respect and because of that they went ahead by many goals.

“When we tried to catch up those goals, which we did, by the fourth quarter we were very tired and could not go beyond. So this time I told them we should start on a very high note and that’s where we should end and today, the game would not be over until it was over with the final whistle. Indeed this is exactly what they did and we eventually won so I’m very pleased with my girls that they listened to the instructions.”

She Cranes captain Irene Eyaru added: “On behalf of the team I’m so, so proud because we have been looking for a way of beating South Africa right from the word go. We wanted to show the whole world that Uganda is the best team in Africa… we decided to play our hearts out on court and if it means to die on court, we would die.”

South African coach Norma Plummer said afterwards: “Congratulations to Uganda. They kept possession of the ball, unfortunately, we wasted too many balls and you can’t afford to lose those sorts of balls. The game is possession and that’s where you win it. They took it to us, and they deserve the win in the end.”

Captain Bongi Msomi added: “We obviously wanted to win, it was very important to try and give it our best shot and maintain our ranking. Like Norma said, we just gave away too many balls. Kudos to them, they played really well today. Disappointed obviously, I still need to go back and try and feel this, at this point, I don’t even know what to feel.”

Vice-captain Karla Pretorius said: “Just very disappointed with our result but it comes back to ourselves, we didn’t play the way were supposed to. They just put us under a lot of pressure and against a team like this, you don’t win a lot of balls and you need to capitalise on it, and we did not do that today. So it’s really disappointing, we really wanted that win.”

SCORES

Q1: 11-12

Q2: 23-23 (12-11)

Q3: 37-39 (14-16)

Q4: 47-49 (10-10)

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Mary Cholhok (Uganda)

MALAWI 64 – 54 TONGA

Following their 56-51 win on Thursday, the Malawi team triumphed again against Tonga on Sunday to finish seventh at the Netball World Cup 2023 in Cape Town.

Tonga managed to establish a three-goal lead midway through the first 15 minutes by creating open spaces to move the ball into their goal circle. Defenders, Kelea Iongi and Lose Fainga’anuku, made things challenging for the Malawi shooters.

Malawi launched a strong counterattack, with Joyce Mvula and Mwai Kumwenda making sure of their attempts at goal. The Queens caught up and even took a two-goal lead, leading 17-16 by the end of the first quarter.

Tonga made changes to their starting lineup in the second quarter, introducing Salote Taufa at centre and veteran former Australian Diamond Mo’onia Gerrard at goal defence. Malawi increased their pace and Mvula’s movement out of the circle to collect passes led to more possession for Malawi. This allowed them to build a comfortable five-goal lead within eight minutes.

Malawi’s first substitution occurred just before halftime, with Jane Dambo replacing Grace Mwafulirwa on wing defence. This intensified pressure on Tonga’s attack, and Malawi led 33-29 at halftime.

The battle between centres Takondwa Lwazi and Hulita Veve continued in the third quarter. Both had been standout players for their teams throughout the tournament, excelling in both attack and defence.

Tonga improved their structured play and defence in the third quarter, closing the gap to just one goal after seven minutes. They outscored Malawi 15-12 in the quarter, keeping their hopes of victory alive.

Malawi’s line-up remained unchanged going into the fourth quarter, as the coaching staff stuck with what was working well. In the final seven minutes, Malawi secured more ball possession for their shooting circle and pulled ahead. With two minutes remaining, their lead stretched to 10 goals, which they maintained to the final whistle, so securing seventh spot in the tournament.

Malawi captain Jane Chimaliro said her side were satisfied with the victory.

“We are feeling good, we are happy that we’ve finished seventh. We failed to get position five so we are not happy about that. The competition was very tough from day one and we tried our best. I thank the girls that they managed to control the last quarter… The fans in the stands were there for us.”

Tongan goal defence Mo’onia Gerrard remained proud of her team’s performance at what is only their second Netball World Cup and said: “It was tough but I think we put it on ourselves to be honest.

“This is our first campaign but we’ve had a taste of it during the championships, so I guess it’s character-building. I guess the girls now know they can’t just rely on their natural talent but they’ve got to put in extras at home to get to this point.

“But considering where we came from – like absolutely nowhere – it was an absolute dream of mine for Tonga to even get to a championship, to a World Cup. It’s just a great feeling and a great start for what our little nation can do.”

SCORES:

Q1: 17-16

Q2: 33-29 (16-13)

Q3: 45-44 (12-15)

Q4: 64-54 (19-10)

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Mwai Kumwenda (Malawi)

England and Australia set up Netball World Cup final showdown as Wales secure ninth place

England booked a place in their first ever Netball World Cup final with a 46-40 victory over defending champions New Zealand in their semifinal clash at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Saturday while 11-time champions Australia held off a formidable fight from Jamaica to earn a 57-54 victory and a place in Sunday’s final.

Sunday’s lineup will see Malawi taking on Tonga at 9am in a battle for seventh place. Hosts South Africa then face African rivals Uganda once again in the fight for fifth spot at 11am. The bronze medal match will be contested between Jamaica and New Zealand at 4pm, before the 6pm final between England and Australia after which the Netball World Cup 2023 champions will be crowned.

Before Saturday’s semifinal action, Fiji secured 11^th place at the tournament with victory over Trinidad and Tobago while in the final playoff match of the evening, it was Wales who beat Scotland 57-42 to secure ninth spot.

SCOTLAND 42 – 57 WALES

In their 11^th meeting at a Netball World Cup, Wales got the better of Scotland with a 57-42 victory at the Netball World Cup 2023 in Cape Town to claim ninth position. The win means Wales have now won six of their encounters against Scotland.

The first quarter was a neck-and-neck battle, as both sides exchanged quick passes and strong feeds into their respective goal circles. While the Feathers’ shooting pair of Georgia Rowe and Phillipa Yarranton were successful with all of their attempts, Beth Goodwin and Niamh McCall missed six shots between the two of them for the Thistles. The Welsh also enjoyed the majority of possession in the opening minutes, handing them a 12-10 lead after the first 15 minutes.

As the game progressed into the second quarter, Wales continued to gain momentum, with clever interceptions and strategic transitions. Rowe and Yarranton continued where they left off, only missing one shot at goal while Goodwin and McCall again struggled to find the net letting four valuable goals go astray. The pressure put on them by defenders Ella Powell-Davies and Christina Shaw was clearly having an effect. At halftime, Wales had stretched their lead to four goals (25-21).

Wales took to the court at the start of the third quarter with the same seven players that started the match. For Scotland there were a handful of changes in an attempt to swing the match in their favour. It didn’t seem to have the desired effect though as Wales stretched their lead to a healthy 10-point gap (42-32).

The Feathers kept the intensity up in the final 15 minutes of the match, forcing the Thistles to play catchup. With the gap opening up to 11 points with seven minutes left on the clock, it proved to be an insurmountable task. Wales drove the ball down court to their goal circle with Rowe and Yarranton sinking shot after shot to secure the victory.

Wales wing attack Bethan Dyke was pleased with the win.

“We can now try and build on this and push through as we have aspirations to play against the top teams. That is what we want to do,” she said.

Scotland centre Iona Christian said it was a disappointing result on the day.

“We weren’t consistent enough today. But the fact that we are in the top 10 at a World Cup for the first time since 1991, in that sense it is great. We have a young, exciting team for the future,” she said.

SCORES

Q1: 10-12

Q2: 21-25 (11-13)

Q3: 32-42 (11-17)

Q4: 42-57 (10-15)

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Georgia Rowe (Wales)

Australia fend off Jamaica to book spot in ninth straight Netball World Cup final

The Australian Diamonds held off a formidable Jamaican challenge in the semifinal of the Netball World Cup in Cape Town on Saturday. That saw the 11-time champions setting up a showdown with England, who defeated defending champions New Zealand earlier in the afternoon, with the final taking place at 6pm on Sunday.

JAMAICA 54 – 57 AUSTRALIA

Jamaica and Australia produced another exhilarating showdown in the second semifinal of the day at the Netball World Cup 2023 in Cape Town.

While they put up a massive fight in a bid to reach their first ever Netball World Cup final, the Jamaicans fell just short of causing the second upset of the day after England defeated New Zealand, with the Australians prevailing 57-54.

This is the third time the Diamonds and Sunshine Girls have gone head-to-head in a final-four clash in the tournament’s history, with the Australians having clinched victory in all three of those previous matches, the most recent in 2015 when they went on to win their 11^th title.

Had they succeeded in their quest on Saturday, the Jamaicans would have denied the powerhouse Australian side a place in the final of a Netball World Cup for the first time ever.

As predicted, and following the pattern of the England v New Zealand semifinal earlier in the day, the opening quarter was a tight one, the teams matching each other goal for goal as they sussed each other out to reach the first break level on 14-14.

Playing in her 100^th match for Jamaica, Jhaniele Fowler was, as always, a tower of strength and calm in the circle with just one miss in the entire match. But it was goalkeeper Shamera Sterling’s extraordinary effort to win the ball off Cara Koenen at the other end that really lifted her side at a crucial moment when they were just starting to slip behind. The Sunshine Girls gained momentum and were able to score three goals on the trot to make up their deficit and level matters once again as the sides headed into halftime.

The confident-looking Diamonds upped the intensity at the start of the third quarter. They forced the Jamaicans into several errors, giving themselves the freedom to open up a five-goal lead. Several Jamaican changes included Adean Thomas coming in at centre, injecting some energy into the side.

Clearly up for the fight, the Jamaicans continued to put their bodies on the line as they battled their way back once again to equalise at 40-40. The Diamonds managed to steady themselves to turn the ball over in the final minute and make sure they reached the final break with their noses just in front, having won the quarter by two goals.

That lead didn’t last long, however, the Jamaicans immediately closing the gap and then edging ahead at the start of the final 15 minutes. Returning to their shorter, sharper game and showing more patience on the ball, the Sunshine Girls edged in front. But with Courtney Bruce in particular upping the defensive pressure, that safe, short game didn’t last.

One too many dangerous high passes into the circle saw Bruce affecting a crucial turnover with just over five minutes to play. Determined to avoid the defending champion New Zealand side’s fate, that was just the gap they needed to pull away, apply more pressure, and eventually secure a hard-fought victory.

While Australia had lost to England in their final group game during the week, this was Jamaica’s first defeat of the tournament, but it was the crunch one that brought their gold-medal quest to an end. The Sunshine Girls will now have to pick themselves up for a bronze medal playoff against New Zealand on Sunday.

Asked about bouncing back on Saturday after their loss to England, Australian coach Stacey Marinkovich said: “You don’t need to do much to motivate this group. I think they’re just absolutely professional in what they do. They knew that we didn’t play the way we would have liked against England. We needed to address that and we needed to find that next level.

“It’s been building – we’ve had bits and pieces of it through the tournament but to play Jamaica you need it for 60 minutes so I guess it was more around the commitment… it was just regrouping and getting focused on what we actually look like when we’re playing well.”

Speaking about her rivalry with West Coast Fever teammate Jhaniele Fowler in the circle on Saturday, Most Valuable Player Courtney Bruce reckoned: “When you come up against Jhaniele, you might not get every single ball but one in 10 is OK. I knew those moments would come and that would come off full-court pressure and that wasn’t going to come in the first quarter so I just went out there to try and fatigue her so in that last quarter we could get as much ball as possible.”

Putting on a brave face, a disappointed Fowler said: “The journey this far has been great. We’ve had some amazing wins but this loss definitely is devastating because we wanted to make it to the grand final, but unfortunately not.

“But kudos to my girls because they worked really hard to get here and they did fight really well in the game just then but we just fell short a little bit. It is disappointing but we put it all on court.”

Jamaica’s assistant coach Keyan Murdock added: “We were playing against a team that is really good… their defence was that good and we have to give credit to the opposition, they played really well and they forced us to do things we never wanted to do and we never got the result we wanted. We were in the game for a very long time and we have to be proud of the ladies and how they performed.”

SCORES

Q1: 14-14

Q2: 29-29 (15-15)

Q3: 40-42 (11-13)

Q4: 54-57 (14-15)

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Courtney Bruce (Australia)

Day 9: England down defending champions to reach first ever Netball World Cup final

England down defending champions to reach first ever Netball World Cup final

England held their nerve to pull off a memorable 46-40 victory over defending champions New Zealand at the Netball World Cup 2023 in Cape Town on Saturday, so booking their place in the gold-medal match for the first time in the tournament’s 60-year history. In the other playoff match of the morning, Fiji defeated Trinidad and Tobago to secure 11^th place.

ENGLAND 46 – 40 NEW ZEALAND

England and New Zealand met in a Netball World Cup semifinal for a fifth time in Cape Town on Saturday, having also met at the same stage of the competition at the last tournament in Liverpool four years ago.

History favoured the defending champions, with the Silver Ferns having claimed victory in all four of their previous final-four encounters dating back to 1991. But it was the Roses who defied the odds to claim a memorable victory after a fiercely contested encounter, winning 46-40 on a historic day for English netball.

It was a nervous start from both sides, with a few frantic exchanges seeing possession changing hands on several occasions. Plenty of defensive pressure from both sides led to a low-scoring opening period, the momentum swinging both ways before the two sides reached the first break level on 9-9. Things could have looked very different had England not struggled quite as much in the shooting circle, while New Zealand were shooting at 100 per cent at the other end.

England’s impressive defence forced several errors from the Silver Ferns leading to them losing some ground in the second quarter. The Roses edged three goals in front at one stage, but the New Zealanders wouldn’t let them get away, coming back in the final two and a half minutes of the period to deny the Roses while scoring three goals of their own to once again go into the break all square at 20-20. Again, the England shooting average was lower than they would have liked, standing at 73.3 per cent in the second quarter while New Zealand remained at 100 per cent.

The only change to the starting lineups came from England at the start of the third quarter with Jade Clarke, playing in her record-equalling sixth Netball World Cup, coming on at centre for Imogen Allison. Fran Williams came on around 10 minutes later at goal defence, replacing Layla Guscoth, who had done some excellent work in partnership with goalkeeper Geva Mentor in the defensive circle.

A great intercept from Kelly Jury in the circle with three minutes remaining saw New Zealand inching into the lead for the first time in the third quarter. But that lead didn’t last and there was once again nothing between the sides heading into the final break, all square on 32-32.

Whatever England coach Jess Thirlby said to her side ahead of the final period seemed to spark a fire in them as they came out with more confidence for the final 15 minutes. Allison returned to centre at the start of the period while New Zealand coach Noeline Taurua again stuck with her starting seven. With history beckoning, Williams pulled off a game-changing intercept to give England the edge with just over four minutes remaining and Allison delivered another to hand them all the momentum and surge even further in front. The Roses didn’t look back from there, scoring six goals on the trot at the end of the match to secure the 46-40 victory. With that, they become the first team other than New Zealand, Australia or South Africa to reach the gold-medal match in Netball World Cup history.

England coach Jess Thirlby was understandably thrilled with her team’s performance, saying: “I’m really typically very proud, like I’m a little bit overwhelmed with what the team have just been able to do.

“I think to win a game in that way is the most satisfying feeling… our capability on the court from a technical and tactical point of view, I’ve never questioned that or doubted it. I have 100 per cent belief in it. I think the journey we’ve been on is how to manage ourselves through momentum in games against the best teams playing at their best,” she added.

“What a fantastic showcase by both teams. I thought New Zealand were excellent. They did what we kind of expected and maybe we struggled at times to really overcome that but mentally we stayed with it, and I think to end a game of that nature with a run of six just goes to tell you that you just have to stay in the game and it opened up an attack. Defence got what they needed when we needed it most and that’s really satisfying.”

An emotional Silver Ferns captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio said her side were devastated at not having the chance to defend their title.

“It’s really devastating for us. We’re feeling very heartbroken as well, especially knowing that we were in it for the three quarters and I think we really stood up,” she said. “It’s kind of been a bit of the story for us – that fourth quarter but I thought we had our chances as well in that. I guess it’s the way it goes but we have to get up again tomorrow [for the bronze medal match] and find a way. We’ve got a lot of heart left and we’re not done yet – we’ve got another game.”

SCORES

Q1: 9-9

Q2: 20-20 (11-11)

Q3: 32-32 (12-12)

Q4: 46-40 (14-8)

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Fran Williams (England)

FIJI 71 – 39 TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

Fiji took on Trinidad and Tobago in the 11^th place playoff at the Netball World Cup 2023 in Cape Town already assured of a better finish than their last World Cup appearance in Liverpool four years ago where they finished 14^th. A spirited performance saw them claiming a convincing 71-39 win to climb two spots on their previous result.

The Fiji Pearls looked by far the hungrier of the teams as they took to the court, finding their rhythm early to pull away from the Calypso Girls, who seemed to be lacking energy. That saw them 5-1 up within the first five minutes of the match.

With their defenders applying plenty of pressure to turn the ball over, Fiji pounced on all their opportunities to extend that lead. Trinidad and Tobago coach Joel Young-Strong brought on captain Shaquanda Greene-Noel at goalkeeper 10 minutes into the first quarter to replace Daystar Swift, but Fiji continued to score at will, racing ahead to a 17-8 lead by the first break.

Unaisi Rauluni was particularly impressive in the Fiji circle, shooting at an average of 91 per cent in the first half as Fiji continued to rack up the goals in the second quarter to reach halftime 34-15 up.

Trinidad and Tobago came back a little stronger in the third quarter while a host of changes for Fiji meant they lost some of their rhythm. That saw the sides separated by just two goals in the quarter score (Fiji winning it 15-13) but the damage that the Pearls had done in the first half meant they took a 21-goal lead into the final period.

Fiji found more fluidity when Maliana Rusivakula rejoined Rauluni in the circle, the duo working well together to extend the Pearls’ lead even further. As she has done throughout the tournament, coach Unaisi Rokoura continued to ring in the changes in the final minutes of the match but her side kept up the pace, wrapping up a 71-37 win and with that, securing 11^th place.

Speaking after the match, an elated Fiji captain, Maria Lutua-Rusivakula, said: “It’s absolutely good. To come out here with a young squad – our aim was to progress from where we left off at the last World Cup and I think everyone really stepped up and put in 100 per cent, so going home, we’re happy that we have progressed from the last time.

“We wanted to finish off on a high. We’ve worked hard and worked strong and wanted to go out with a win so we came out hungry and we said we’re not going to go home without a win, so I think the girls showed that on court today.”

Trinidad and Tobago coach Joel Young-Strong agreed that her players had lacked energy for their final match.

“They really are tired but they should have been doing better than this because we were trained a certain way that when this time at the end comes, we need to step it up. But I think they were also tired mentally,” she said.

“Fiji were hungry. My hats off to Fiji today. We played them in a warm-up and they looked really, really good so we anticipated some great pace, tactics and connections from them, but we failed. It’s alright, it’s all good. We’re going to build from here and come back next time stronger, better and fitter.”

SCORES

Q1: 17-8

Q2: 34-15 (17-7)

Q3: 49-28 (15-13)

Q4: 71-37 (22-9)

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Unaisi Rauluni (Fiji)

South Africa and Uganda set up all-African battle for fifth place at the Netball World Cup

Friday, 4 August 2023: Uganda beat Malawi and South Africa got the better of Tonga in their Netball World Cup 2023 playoff matches at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Friday. That means the She Cranes and Proteas will play off for fifth place on Sunday, while Malawi will take on Tonga to decide seventh and eighth.

UGANDA 57-46 MALAWI

Uganda recorded their first victory ever over Malawi at a Netball World Cup when they defeated their opponents 57-46 at the tournament in Cape Town on Friday.

With the win, the She Cranes advanced to Sunday’s fifth-place playoff which means, regardless of the result, they will achieve their highest placing at a World Cup. Their previous highest placing in their three other tournament appearances was seventh place in 2019 in Liverpool.

Despite an initial four-goal lead by Uganda and pressure from the She Cranes, the Malawi Queens started playing with more confidence with some well-executed moves and drives down court. Goal attack Mwai Kumwenda commanded the circle, keeping her space well to take her team to within one goal. Goal shooter Joyce Mvula scored the equalising goal in the last minute of the first quarter and landed another one soon after to put Malawi one up. Uganda got one back, and the score reached 14-all.

At the start of the second quarter, Mvula landed two goals in quick succession to hand Malawi the lead again. It wasn’t to last though as the She Cranes overtook them once again.

It was a very physical encounter with the style of play typical of African netball and with players running hard at the ball. Uganda coach Fred Mugerwa was up and out of his seat at the side of the court throughout the match, shouting instructions and pointing to where he wanted his players to move.

After initially struggling to keep away from Malawi goalkeeper Loreen Ngwira, Uganda goal shooter Mary Cholhok sank four goals on the trot to give her team a 28-23 lead at halftime.

Uganda had the lion’s share of possession in the second quarter with 64 per cent and continued on the same trajectory in the third quarter, continuing to dominate Malawi in the third. This despite the efforts from the Malawi mid-court, led by centre Takondwa Lwazi, to feed the ball through to their goal circle.

In the latter stages of the penultimate quarter, Malawi goal defence Towera Vinkhumbo received a warning from the umpire. The next misstep from her would have meant expulsion from the game for two minutes.

Uganda enjoyed a healthy 43-35 lead heading into the final 15 minutes. The She Cranes kept the distance between themselves and the Queens, not allowing their opponents to get any grip on the match.

With five minutes remaining, Uganda were 10 points clear and made certain of advancing to play for the fifth/sixth position on Sunday.

Uganda coach Fred Mugerwa said the players panicked a bit in the first quarter and realised what was at stake.

“The game was a bit tough and I told the girls to go out and fight. We wanted to win and that’s exactly what we did.”

Malawi coach Sam Kanyenda reckoned: “We need to go back to the drawing board and from the result here see how best we can go forward. We believe we’ve got enough talent that can take us there and we’ve got to see how best we can adapt our strategy to take us where we want to be.”

SCORES:

Q1:14-14

Q2: 28-23 (14-9)

Q3: 43-35 (15-12)

Q4: 57-46 (14-11)

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Shadiah Nassanga (Uganda)

SOUTH AFRICA 72 – 46 TONGA

Hosts South Africa took on Tonga on Friday in the battle to determine who will meet Uganda in the playoff for fifth place at the Netball World Cup 2023 in Cape Town.

South Africa’s Rugby World Cup-winning captain, Siya Kolisi, was among the vocal home crowd cheering for their side and willing them to a 72-46 victory.

The opening quarter was a tight one, with the teams remaining neck and neck throughout. The Proteas were turning plenty of ball, but their shooters were struggling to settle in the circle. Ine-Mari Venter converted only five of her nine shots before being replaced by Elmeré van der Berg towards the end of the period. Even the usually reliable Nichole Taljaard finished the first quarter with a 67 per cent shooting average at goal attack, although she improved that considerably in the rest of the match.

At the other end, former Silver Ferns star Cat Tuivaiti was shooting at 100 per cent at goal shooter, as was her goal attack Marie Hansen, meaning the Tongan Tala kept up with the Proteas to reach the first quarter break level on 12-12.

It was a different story in the second quarter, however, as Van der Berg made sure the South Africans’ efforts on defence were rewarded. The young goal shooter fired in 14 of her 14 attempts while Taljaard also settled to slot in all of her efforts. Tonga brought on veteran former Australian Diamond Mo’onia Gerrard at goalkeeper 12 minutes into the second quarter to try and stem the flow, but she couldn’t prevent the South Africans from taking a seven-goal lead into halftime.

The South Africans continued to build on that momentum in the third quarter, moving the ball down the court with ease and easily finding Van der Berg in the circle. That saw them extending their lead to 11 goals by the final break.

Having had a significant lead against Uganda whittled down in the final period a day earlier, the Proteas would have been determined not to allow a repeat scenario against Tonga. They did that in some style. Even with South African coach Norma Plummer bringing on Khanyisa Chawane, Owethu Ngubane, Shadine van der Merwe and Nicola Smith as late replacements, the Proteas continued to storm ahead, winning the quarter by 25 goals to 10 and securing their place in Sunday’s fifth-place playoff with a 72-46 victory.

Speaking after the match, Proteas captain Bongi Msomi said” “Firstly I want to say I’m really proud of the team. Coming here we only had one loss to Jamaica… we drew against New Zealand and we actually just can’t have a semifinal based on goal difference and I think that, we can be proud of.

“We had a chat yesterday and I’m quite pleased to see that the girls could bounce back from that disappointment, because it was quite disappointing, and come here today and really just want to play what we called our semifinal. We have a ‘final’ against Uganda on Sunday.

“They’re a really good side and they actually gave it to us when we played yesterday so we’re looking forward to another battle. You can’t really shy away from the fact that we’re ranked fifth. We want to finish at least fifth at this stage… I’m really still proud of the girls. I thought there was some great netball being played by the Spar Proteas and to see that the youngsters are coming through, really playing good netball. That is something we can take forward and be proud of what is happening in netball in South Africa.”

Tonga wing attack Salote Taufa said it is a dream come true to play out for seventh spot in Tonga’s second appearance at a Netball World Cup.

“We are all just taking it in as it comes. We are a little nation trying to put our country on the map and shake things up a bit. And I think we definitely did that. We look beyond it being a game of netball, we are a family and we bring that into our game.”

SCORES

Q1:12-12

Q2: 30-23 (18-11)

Q3: 47-36 (17-13)

Q4: 72-46 (25-10)

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Elmeré van der Berg (South Africa)

Zimbabwe and Singapore sign off Netball World Cup in triumphant style

Friday, 4 August 2023: Zimbabwe defeated Barbados to secure 13^th place while Singapore got the better of Sri Lanka to secure 15^th place in their final matches of the Netball World Cup 2023 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Friday.

ZIMBABWE 75 – 48 BARBADOS

Zimbabwe avenged their 45-62 loss against Barbados earlier in the week when they beat the Bajan Gems 75-48 to finish in 13^th position at the Netball World Cup 2023 in Cape Town.

Four years ago at the 2019 World Cup in Liverpool, Zimbabwe claimed eighth place and Barbados 12^th.

Right from the beginning, Zimbabwe took control, leading by three points early on. Goal attack Nicole Muzanenamo was in excellent form, receiving accurate passes from the mid-court and converting her shots effectively. She utilised impressive split landings once again to position herself well for scoring.

Barbados managed to narrow the gap to just one goal (14-15) before the end of the first quarter, with a goal from Kadeen Corbin. The second quarter saw back-and-forth action. There were multiple intercepts and closely contested play around the goal circles. Zimbabwe’s Nalani Makunde scored four consecutive goals just before halftime, giving her team a 30-28 lead.

The Gems maintained their momentum, and in the third quarter, they surged ahead with a substantial lead, outscoring Barbados by 22 to seven. This quarter proved to be challenging for Barbados, while Zimbabwe excelled. The scoreboard showed 52-35 in favour of Zimbabwe at the start of the final quarter.

It was more of the same in the fourth quarter with Zimbabwe completely outplaying Barbados. The African team were lighter on their feet while the islanders found it difficult to keep up with the fast pace.

Throughout the match, Zimbabwe’s fitness played a crucial role, as they made only two changes during the entire 60 minutes. In the last 15 minutes, Zimbabwe’s defenders limited Barbados’ scoring opportunities, resulting in a significant lead of up to 24 points at one stage. When the match concluded, Zimbabwe emerged victorious with a 27-goal lead.

Zimbabwe captain Felisitus Kwangwa said her side raised their hands a little too late in Cape Town.

“For the last few games we just told ourselves that we have to work hard and finish strong. I’m glad everyone in the team managed to rise to the occasion.”

It was wing attack Sasha Corbin’s last match for Barbados, having previously represented England, and she said it has been a massive honour.

“It’s been tough, I won’t lie, six games back-to-back with no rest, it has been extremely difficult. But at the same time, we’ve had to dig deep and I’m proud of what we have achieved,” she said.

SCORES

Q1: 15-14

Q2: 30-28 (15-14)

Q3: 52-35 (22-7)

Q4: 75-48 (23-13)

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Nalani Makunde (Zimbabwe)

SINGAPORE 49 – 46 SRI LANKA

Singapore and Sri Lanka renewed their rivalry in the battle for 15^th place at the Netball World Cup in Cape Town on Friday. The sides have already met at this tournament, with Singapore winning by three goals on that occasion while it was Sri Lanka who prevailed in their previous 15th-place showdown at a Netball World Cup in 2019.

As expected Friday’s encounter was a neck-and-neck encounter but it was the Singaporeans who had the edge, grinding out a 49-46 victory.

It was a much better start from Sri Lanka compared to the last clash between the two sides in Cape Town where they found themselves nine goals down after the first quarter and playing catch-up throughout.

Singapore were punished for offensive contact on three occasions in the first quarter which proved costly while Sri Lanka took advantage of their greater possession (60 per cent), easily finding Thishala Algama in the circle.

Once again, shooting accuracy was a talking point in the match – the Sri Lankans firing in 15 of their 16 attempts while Singapore’s numbers stood on eight from 11. That saw the Sri Lankans reaching the first break 8-15 up.

Sri Lanka found it much tougher to find their shooters in the second quarter as Singapore’s defensive unit upped their intensity. That allowed them to win the quarter by one goal but they still faced a deficit of six with the Sri Lankans heading into halftime 20-26 in front.

The third quarter belonged to Singapore, their fluency and intensity seeing them quickly closing the gap. They were dealt a blow when, with five minutes left in the quarter, wing defence Shu Ning Yew went down with a knee injury and was wheeled off court by medics. She was replaced by Ting Fang Khor but Singapore continued to dominate, winning the period 16-10 and finding the all-important equaliser with 15 seconds remaining in the period.

That meant there was all to play for in the final 15 minutes. Having upped her percentage considerably from the opening period, Amandeep Chahal was rock solid in the Singapore circle, sinking nine of her 10 attempts as Singapore moved in front and held on for a memorable 49-46 victory over the Asian champions. The goal shooter was later named Most Valuable Player.

Speaking after the match an elated Singapore captain Kai Wei Toh said: “It feels great. We’ve been wanting to do this – to win and to up our ranking. I think the team did really well today – a deserved win. We had a slow start but the team fought through.

“In the first game I think we had a dip in the second quarter so coming into this game we wanted to fix that. We didn’t want to have any dips and stay competitive throughout the quarters and I think the team did achieve that today.

“We have been meeting Sri Lanka for many years and losing to them in our own Asian championships also so with this win, we receive a lot of encouragement for Singapore. I think a lot of the younger girls will have a bit more hope that Singapore netball is going on a bigger stage and that they can progress even further.”

SCORES

Q1: 8-15

Q2: 20-26 (12-11)

Q3: 36-36 (16-10)

Q4: 49-46 (13-10)

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Amandeep Chahal (Singapore)

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