Netball World Cup 2015: Scores, Results, Fixtures, Pools After Monday's Action
Wales and Uganda were involved in the standout match of the Netball World Cup on Monday, as the former produced a wonderful final quarter to edge out their African opponents 49-47, finishing atop Pool D with a perfect group-stage record.
Elsewhere, there were heavy wins for South Africa and Jamaica, who toppled Scotland and Sri Lanka, respectively, while Fiji edged past Zambia 59-51 in another tight encounter.
Here’s a look at how things are shaping up in the aftermath of another absorbing day at the Sydney championships, along with a closer examination of the best of the action with the final stages of the tournament to come.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
| South Africa | 89-17 | Sri Lanka |
| Zambia | 51-59 | Fiji |
| Uganda | 47-49 | Wales |
| Scotland | 24-71 | Jamaica |
| 1 | NEW ZEALAND | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 176.1 | 6 |
| 2 | AUSTRALIA | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 203 | 4 |
| 3 | TRINIDAD & TOBAGO | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 67.2 | 2 |
| 4 | BARBADOS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 39.3 | 0 |
| 1 | ENGLAND | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 193.2 | 6 |
| 2 | JAMAICA | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 172.9 | 4 |
| 3 | SCOTLAND | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 53.9 | 2 |
| 4 | SAMOA | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 51.4 | 0 |
| 1 | MALAWI | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 234 | 6 |
| 2 | SOUTH AFRICA | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 217.7 | 4 |
| 3 | SINGAPORE | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 57.8 | 2 |
| 4 | SRI LANKA | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 31.7 | 0 |
| 1 | WALES | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 125.2 | 6 |
| 2 | UGANDA | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 143.3 | 4 |
| 3 | FIJI | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 88.3 | 2 |
| 4 | ZAMBIA | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 65.2 | 0 |
Tables, results and statistics courtesy of BBC.co.uk.
Wales Continue Perfect Start, Scotland's Chances Ended
With the group stages now complete, the teams qualified for the first eight have been confirmed. Here’s a look at which sides will battle it out for the ultimate prize and which nations will be left to scrap it out for the minor positions, per the competition’s Twitter account:
In the final embers of a critical match, it’s so easy to let pressure take a hold to the detriment of performance levels. But Wales, who were down 39-35 three quarters of the way through their clash with Uganda, turned on the style to preserve their winning run Down Under.
Chelsea Lewis and Emma Thomas, who produced a faultless shooting display to notch 14 out of 14 shots at the basket, were serene in the latter stages, propelling Trish Wilcox’s side to a 49-47 victory.
International netball coach Melissa Hyndman paid tribute to the overall performance from the Welsh outfit, who finished atop the pool with their victory:
Here's a look at what some of the players had to say in the aftermath of such a thrilling encounter, per the Netball World Cup's YouTube channel:
The same could not be said for the Scottish side, who were crushed 71-24 by Jamaica in their last match of the initial group stages. They were run ragged by an exceptional display from the Sunshine Girls, including a magnificent show from Jhaniele Fowler-Reid, who rattled in a staggering 59 points.
As we can see, courtesy of the Netball Jamaica Twitter feed, there was a clear gulf in class between the two sides when it came to shooting accuracy:
Aside from the Scots’ humbling at the hands of Jamaica, there was another one-sided affair on Monday, with South Africa romping to an even more emphatic 89-17 victory. The victors progressed as Pool C winners as a result, while Sri Lanka will be left to reflect on three consecutive defeats at a competition in which they were well out of their depth.
The South Africa shooters simply had far too much class for their less illustrious opponents, with Lenize Potgieter, Maryka Holtzhausen, Lindie Lombard and Elsje du Plessis showcasing too much intelligence and a steady accuracy to get the job done.
Again, the tournament’s official Twitter feed provided the numbers which proved there was a clear difference in quality:
In the day’s other game, Fiji showed fight to get past Zambia 59-51, but the encounter was a dead rubber, with both sides unable to progress into the first eight.
The second stage of group matches should be fascinating, with the standard of play in the first eight likely to increase dramatically from what we’ve seen so far. It means Wilcox’s Wales side will be faced with a much better calibre opponent, with Australia, England and South Africa all impressing at the Sydney showpiece so far.
But this win over Uganda, while not their most glamorous of the competition, shows that there is an underpinning fortitude about this group, and they’ll be wholly confident of progressing into the semi-finals of the sport’s most prestigious tournament.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
