Singapore vs Hong Kong, 7 July 2013

SINGAPORE END ON A HIGH IN BRUNEI

Singapore 21&U ended their campaign at the Asian Youth Championships in Brunei with a victory over Hong Kong to finish in third place overall.

Singapore started slowly and the defence took a while to settle and adjust to Hong Kong’s attacking style. The second half was a marked improvement with more than 25 attempts at goal in the third quarter. The shooters played well, particularly Melissa Teo who’s scoring percentage was over 80% throughout the match.

A 57-27 result shows the team’s spirit and determination that they’ve played every match with over the past eight days and will give them a confidence boost ahead of their next challenge at the World Youth Championships which take place in Glasgow in August.

Co-Captain Cheryl Ann Lee was named the Most Valuable Defender of the tournament. 

Final Score: 57-27 (26-15)  
Q1: 12-9
Q2: 14-6
Q3: 18- 4
Q4: 13-8

By Lorna Campbell

Malaysia vs Singapore, 5 July 2013

MALAYSIA A BRIDGE TOO FAR FOR SINGAPORE

Singapore started strongly in their clash with Malaysia in the semi-finals of the Asian Youth Championships but were unable to maintain their strong start and went down 32-52 meaning they will play Hong Kong in the third-fourth placing match.

For the first three quarters there was nothing to separate the two sides and it was Singapore who were in front by a whisker after the opening 15minutes (12-11). Neither team gave an inch and turnovers were few and far between but sadly in the last quarter the control went from Singapore’s play as poor decision making and passes crept in too often.

Another blow to the side was the loss of co-captain Cheryl Ann Lee through injury during an attempted lifted pass interception. She was instrumental throughout her time on court battling against Malaysian Goal Shooter Norashikin. When carried off court she displayed true sportsmanship and team camaraderie cheering loudly for huge final period. Everyone worked hard to battle to the end of the match but the 3-17 final quarter score could never be pulled back.

Singapore knew the tough challenge they faced and went onto court full of energy and motivation, eager to reverse the fortunes of previous encounters against their local rivals. The teams confidence has green throughout the tournament and is an important element to carry with them to the World Youth Championships in Glasgow next month. 

Aiming for nothing less than a win against Hong Kong and the third place spot, the team have played practice matches against them and are familiar with their style. The team will focus on shutting down attacks and working on consistent and collective play, both offensively and defensively. HK have a tall goal keeper so our shooters will have to work hard to find an effective rebound position at every opportunity.

Final Score: 32-52 (HT 21-25)
Q1: 12-11
Q2: 9-14
Q3: 8-9
Q4: 3-17

By Lorna Campbell

Singapore vs Sri Lanka, 4 July 2013

SRI LANKA PROVE TOO STRONG FOR SINGAPORE’S 21&U

It was the match to decide the top of the table positions in the Asian Youth Netball Championships in Brunei with both Singapore and Sri Lanka unbeaten in their previous matches if the competition. 

Singapore couldn’t make it four wins from four as they went down 40-63 and will now face top side Malaysia in the poll cross-over matches that will determine the finalists and who plays for third/fourth placings. 

Our girls started strongly with some impressive play in the opening quarter and had a 3-1 lead in the first few minutes. The shooter were shooting close to 90% with a sense of urgency and determination throughout the side. However the consistency to maintain this for the 60 minutes wasn’t there and some critical errors in attack lost the cohesiveness and let the Sri Lankans extend their lead. 

Singapore didn’t give up though and showed their spirit as those on the bench cheered on the seven on-court players to urge them on as couch as they could. One stand out performance for the four quarters came from WD Siti Nurshawallah Rashid who switched well to the adopted man-to-man defence and worked hard to set up numerous interceptions for her teammates. 

Malaysia are considered as many as the team to beat for the title this year so Singapore will have to raise the level of their performance once again to give themselves a chance of making the finals. The team are very familiar with each others playing style as they met just a few weeks prior to traveling to Brunei but with everything to play for Singapore have nothing to lose and must wear their hearts on their sleeves and attack from the opening whistle.

Final Score: 40-63 (HT 22-29)
Q1: 14-17
Q2: 8-12
Q3: 8-17
Q4: 10-17

By Lorna Campbell

Maldives vs Singapore, 3 July 2013

Singapore came out on top in their third match of the Asian Youth Championships in Brunei wi a 85-8 win over the Maldives (HT 39-7).

After a rest day on Tuesday the team opened the match strongly but failed to maintain this control and consistency throughout all periods. A tightening-up in defense during the second half forced a number of turnovers against the small and quick side from the Maldives and this helped them push ahead in the score sheet.

Co-captain Shelby Koh played in the second half and immediately made a positive impression by working hard to intercept passes and generate flow in Singapore’s attack.

The team have yet to be tested however on court as their opposition so far are relatively inexperienced or new to the sport. They must stay focused as the competition will start to hot up in their next matches against the real championship contenders of Sri Lanka and then possibly Malaysia if they reach the finals.

Sri Lanka will pose a new challenge tomorrow with their height, stretch and overall experience. Singapore will have to work hard to drive the ball and work around players with their passes and getting shots at goal nice and early. Both teams are aiming to finish top in the group so this will be a tough encounter.

Final Score: 85-8
Q1: 25-3
Q2: 14-4
Q3: 22-1
Q4: 24-0

Singapore vs Nepal, 1 July 2013

Day two of the Asian Youth Netball Championships in Brunei and a second victory for Singapore.

After some basic errors in the opening quarter the Singapore team settled into their own rhythm and never looked back. The experienced Singapore team was too strong for the Nepal team, who is basically new to the sport. 

In their first ever Asian Youth Netball Championships, Nepal were certainly shown the standard they should be aiming for in future years by their opposition and will take a lot from their experience in the competition and heart from the fact they managed to break through for four goals in the second half.

Although the score margin was big, we trust that the Nepal will not be discouraged and will come back strongly against Thailand in their next match. 

Next up for Singapore is the Maldives who should pose a similar challenge to Thailand. The team will be keen to start strongly and maintain a high tempo.

Final score 109-4

Singapore vs Thailand, 30 June 2013

The Singapore 21&U got off to a winning start at the Asian youth netball championships in Brunei yesterday (Sunday) with a 65-20 win over Thailand.

The team surpassed their goals and settled down well, taking control from the first quarter. They managed to score a minimum of 15 goals in each quarter other than the 2nd where they notched up 14 and they kept their goal difference above 8 goals throughout the match.

It was a dynamic performance from the team who are highly motivated to do well in this competition and the best start possible for the girls.

The standout performance within the Singapore team was Jocelyn in GA for the first half who attacked and defended with equal focus and aggression. 

Singapore will next face the unknown opposition of Nepal who are relatively new netball as a nation. The most important thing for the team to do is remain focused on playing their own game and not dropping their pace or standard of play if their opponents are less experienced. A tight defense will be key to keeping Nepal’s shooting chances to a minimum.

Final score 65-20 (HT 33-15)