Calypso Girls edge USA 48-42

KINGSTON: The Caribbean number one netballers Jamaica, and former co- world champions Trinidad and Tobago, were among the winners on Day Four of the 2003 Cable & Wireless 11th World Netball Champion-ship (WNC) yesterday.

Jamaica, the Sunshine Girls, defeated South Africa, and Trinidad and Tobago Calypso Girls netballers fended off a spirited United States in two late evening matches. Coming off an emphatic 89-30 win over TT in their opening game Friday night, the world’s fourth-ranked Jamaicans produced a solid 54-33 win over South Africa. And Trinidad and Tobago, who shared the world title with Australia and New Zealand at the 1979 championship in Port-of-Spain, rebounded from their heavy defest by  the Jamaicans to triumph 48-42 over the United States, leading all the way 9-8; 20-19; 34-28. Janelle Barker scored 36 goals from 41 attempts and Simone Morgan 12 of 14 for Trinidad and Tobago whose team were: Lystra Solomon, Carlette Nurse, Anastasacia Wilson, Rhonda John and Stacy Sparks. England, rated number three in the world, raced to their second consecutive win when they defeated Fiji 62-30.

On Saturday night, made an impressive start to the defence of their title with a 73-22 win over the USA also late on Saturday night. Eloise Southby scored 26 goals from 30 attempts, Cynna Neele got 24 from 28 and sharp shooter Sharelle McMahon used sparingly, netted 17 of 20 attempts. The Silver Ferns of New Zealand were unrelenting in their opening game against sister nation, Niue, they crushing  the South Pacific island nation 99-1 at the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston yesterday. Goal-shoot Irene Van Dyke led the Silver Ferns with  34 goals from 37 attempts, while Jodi Te Huina had 23 from 28 and Bellinda Colling got 24 goals from 28 attempts, while Tania Dalton added  18 from 20. Jayde Swan netted six from 15 attempts, while sister Savannah Swan scored two from seven and Julie Folomu three from four for Niue. 

In other games, St Vincent (45) vs Wales (37); St Lucia (49) vs Northern Ireland (35); Grenada (47) vs  Canada (37); Sri Lanka (81) vs Cayman Islands (36);  Scotland (41) vs Hong Kong (18); Antigua/Barbuda (54) v Bermuda (25).
Saturday’s results:  Grenada (41) vs St Lucia (59);  St Vincent (48) vs  Antigua/Barbuda (38); Scotland (42) vs Northern Ireland (33); Sri Lanka (69) vs Bermuda (30); Hong Kong (20) vs Canada (52); Cayman Is (27) vs Wales (79); Fiji (55) vs Barbados (46); South Africa (57) vas Samoa (41).