US netballers shock Caribbean champs SVG

KINGSTON: Nuie, a tiny South Pacific island with a population close to  2,000 have proven to be the Cinderella team of the 11th Cable and Wireless Netball Championships which entered its second day here yesterday. And another surprise team are United States, where the sport  of netball is hardly recognised. Both teams have earned the right to play in the “big league” (Top 12) of the  Championship. Nuie showed their opening 48-39 victory over Northern Ireland was no fluke when they stunned Caribbbean team Grenada 44-42 at the new National Sports Centre yesterday morning. And the Americans outplayed another Caribbean team, St Vincent and the Grenadines, the Caribbean champions 46-33 at the same venue also yesterday. Both United States and Nuie were among the lower-ranked teams battling it  out in preliminary-round qualifying matches to compete for the trophy with  perennial champions Australia, New Zealand, England, Jamaica and South Africa. The United States next play Australia today, while Nuie take on two-time winners New Zealand, the Silver Ferns. In yesterday’s match US goal-attack Jolene Christopher was playing against   her 27-year-old aunt, Joanna Christopher, who is goal-shoot for beaten SVG. The US squad comprise 12 Caribbean-born players. The other two are an Australian and English. An elated St Lucia-born US captain Sybil Smith said: “We came here to be in the dance as we say and we have gotten into the party.” 

Other results yesterday: Samoa (61) vs Sri Lanka (33); Barbados (44) vs Scotland (33).
Thursday’s scores: Samoa (50) vs Antigua (46); Sri Lanka (81) vs Cayman Is. (18); Barbados (62) vs St Lucia (37); Scotland (53) vs Hong Kong 16);
Grenada (31) vs Canada 29);  Nuie (48) vs Northern Ireland (39); St Vincent (45) vs Wales (36); USA (60) vs Bermuda (31).
Today’s matches: Grenada vs St Lucia, 10.30 am; St Vincent vs Antigua, 10.45 am; Northern Ireland vs Scotland, 11 am; Bermuda vs Sri Lanka, 12.45 pm; Canada vs Hong Kong, 1 pm; Walses vs Cayman Is, 1.15 pm; Barbados vs Fiji, 4 pm; Samoa vs South Africa, 4.15 pm; Nuie vs New Zealand, 4.30 pm; USA vs Australia and Cook Islands vs England, 6.30 pm.