NETBALL – The kingdom’s national netball squad, the Bahrain Pearls, claimed an historic first-ever victory on the global stage last night at the 13th Asian Netball Championship, taking place in Bengaluru, India.
The Pearls registered an emphatic 63-26 result against Iraq for their lone win in Pool B of the competition’s preliminary round. It followed five straight losses against more experienced opposition, including Chinese Taipei, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Brunei, and they wrapped up their match schedule in this stage on a positive note.
The Bahraini representatives ranked sixth in their seven-nation group, and will now face off with Japan for 11th and 12th place overall in the tournament. It will be their final assignment of the continental competition.
Singapore finished atop their division with an undefeated record in six outings, followed by Hong Kong – who secured the other final four spot from Pool B after edging past Thailand 62-60 yesterday – Brunei, Chinese Taipei, Bahrain and Iraq.
The Japanese finished sixth in Pool A which also includes defending champions Sri Lanka, Malaysia, the Philippines, the Maldives, Saudi Arabia, and hosts India.
“After a challenging week competing against top-class players on the international stage, we are incredibly proud to have achieved this historic milestone for Bahrain – winning its first game at this level,” Bahrain Netball director Khulood Sabah told the GDN from Bengaluru.
“The joy and pride felt by our squad has been nothing short of exhilarating, and we truly feel like we were on top of the world.
“As we prepare to face Japan tomorrow, our team is fuelled by this victory and determined to build on our success. We are ready to give our all and strive for another win!”
In yesterday’s contest, the Pearls took a slim 11-7 lead at the end of the first quarter, and then were able to stretch their advantage in the second, where they held Iraq to just three goals, to go up 27-12 at the break.
They continued their strong form in the third and extended the gap to 43-21 heading into the final frame, where they closed out their historic victory.
Only the top two teams from each preliminary round pool advanced to the tournament’s semi-finals, which are scheduled for today, while the rest of the squads will play final ranking games to determine fifth through 14th. Today’s initial classification fixtures will set up the final games tomorrow along with the gold and bronze medal affairs.
The Pearls are captained in the Asian championship by Stacey Clarke and vice-captained by Claire Van Minnen and Amani Al Asfoor. The rest of the roster features Sabah, Danet Leite, Sara Kerr, Alexandra Lee, Martine Timmer-Arends, Verity Ball, Jeannine Wessels, and Monique Juter.
Fans can catch all the matches live streamed on the Indian Netball Federation’s YouTube channel (@netballfederationofindia).
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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