Netball World Cup 2015: Scores, Results, Fixtures, Pools After Friday's Action
The first day of the 2015 Netball World Cup didn't serve up any surprises, as hosts Australia, New Zealand, England and Jamaica cruised to comfortable wins on Friday. Malawi had to dig deep to hold off South Africa, and Wales started their campaign with a win over Fiji.
All eyes are on Pool A, where top-ranked Australia and eternal rivals New Zealand will go head-to-head on Sunday. Both teams seem to be in terrific form starting the competition and are favourites to win this year's title.
Here's a look at the results from Friday's action, as well as Saturday's list of fixtures and updated standings:
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
| Friday, August 7 | A | Australia | 73-32 | T&T |
| Friday, August 7 | A | New Zealand | 73-28 | Barbados |
| Friday, August 7 | B | England | 60-19 | Scotland |
| Friday, August 7 | B | Jamaica | 90-44 | Samoa |
| Friday, August 7 | C | Singapore | 56-43 | Sri Lanka |
| Friday, August 7 | C | Malawi | 58-51 | South Africa |
| Friday, August 7 | D | Uganda | 74-38 | Zambia |
| Friday, August 7 | D | Wales | 59-52 | Fiji |
| Friday, August 7 | A | Australia | tbd | Barbados |
| Saturday, August 8 | A | T&T | tbd | New Zealand |
| Saturday, August 8 | B | England | tbd | Jamaica |
| Saturday, August 8 | B | Scotland | tbd | Samoa |
| Saturday, August 8 | C | Singapore | tbd | South Africa |
| Saturday, August 8 | C | Malawi | tbd | Sri Lanka |
| Saturday, August 8 | D | Wales | tbd | Zambia |
| Saturday, August 8 | D | Fiji | tbd | Uganda |
| New Zealand | 1 | 2 | England | 1 | 2 |
| Australia | 1 | 2 | Jamaica | 1 | 2 |
| T&T | 1 | 0 | Samoa | 1 | 0 |
| Barbados | 1 | 0 | Scotland | 1 | 0 |
| Singapore | 1 | 2 | Uganda | 1 | 2 |
| Malawi | 1 | 2 | Wales | 1 | 2 |
| South Africa | 1 | 0 | Fiji | 1 | 0 |
| Sri Lanka | 1 | 0 | Zambia | 1 | 0 |
All information is courtesy of the event's official website.
Recap
New Zealand dominated Barbados 71-28 in their first match of the tournament, as the new and improved Silver Ferns sent a clear message to the netball world that they're ready to snap a nine-match losing streak against hosts Australia.
The Silver Ferns dominated in midfield, finishing the match with 15 interceptions, and the constant pressure on Barbados' buildup play doomed the West Indies' side from the start. Barbados actually finished with the higher goal percentage and matched New Zealand in the rebounding category, but per Sky Sports Netball, turnovers ruled the day.
Leana de Bruin equaled a World Cup record by playing in her fifth tournament on Friday, and per the team's official Twitter account, the veteran defender explained how she's been able to play at such a high level for so long:
All 12 players saw playing time for New Zealand, who've entered the tournament with a young squad and are still finding the right combinations. Speed and flow were key in the win over Barbados, who looked solid in defence but just couldn't keep possession.
Defending champions Australia also cruised to an easy win, beating Trinidad & Tobago by a score of 73-32. The Calypso Girls managed to keep things close during the first quarter before the Diamonds switched gears, shooting an incredible 87 percent.
Similar to the Silver Ferns, Australia kept the pressure on and came away with plenty of interceptions, limiting the damage scorer Afeisha Noel could do. She still managed to entertain the crowd, however, per the event's official Twitter account:
A quick scoring burst led to a half-time score of 35-16 in favour of the Diamonds, who made a number of substitutions and easily cruised to a win.
England beat Scotland 60-19, the perfect warm-up match ahead of a massive clash against Jamaica. The Sunshine Girls beat England at the Commonwealth Games in 2014, and coach Tracey Neville's players have revenge on their minds.
Neville coached the team while her father lay in a Sydney hospital after suffering a heart attack on the flight to Australia, and as noted in a team statement, per Rebecca Williams of the Herald Sun (h/t Fox Sports), Neville Neville unfortunately died during the evening.
The Roses looked sloppy early in the match, committing a number of turnovers, but defensively, things looked solid. The Thistles were held to just five goals in the first quarter, and once England started finding their shooting form, the match was over.
England will have to do better against Jamaica, who scored an incredible 90 goals against Samoa, led by Jhaniele Fowler-Reid's 39. The Sunshine Girls may not have the strongest defensive unit, but their explosive scoring will doom England if the Roses commit as many turnovers as they did on Friday.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
