T&T netball team lose again, dominant Jamaica remain unbeaten

Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica netball teams remained on different paths after posting contrasting results at the Commonwealth Games here Tuesday.

While the luckless Trinidadians extended their winless streak to three in Pool B with a chastening 80-24 battering at the hands of New Zealand, Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls remained unbeaten in Pool A with yet another dominant result, dismissing Scotland 78-34.

In the last of four games at NEC Arena, T&T never got out of single digits in any quarter and the contest proved lopsided from the start.

Grace Mweke was the star of the show in the first quarter as New Zealand stormed to a 22-5 lead.

And despite a raft of substitutions early in the second quarter, the Silver Ferns were hardly challenged as they cruised to a 43-11 half-time advantage.

Mweke combined with Te Paea Selby-Rickit to lift New Zealand to a 59-18 lead at the end of the third quarter and the final quarter was much of the same as the World number two-ranked side coasted.

The winners were led by Mweke who scored 37 from 39 attempts with Selby-Rickit chipping in with 19 from 22 and Maia Wilson scoring a perfect 16-from-16.

For T&T, goal attack Joelisa Cooper finished with 13 from 15 attempts while goalshoot Afeisha Noel supported with 11 from 12.

Trinidad lost to England on opening day and also went down to Uganda on Sunday.

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Jamaica, meanwhile, hardly missed a step as they built on successes against Wales, South Africa and Barbados.

They raced to a 25-6 lead at the end of the quarter and easily navigated their most difficult challenge of the game in the second quarter to lead 40-18 at the half-time whistle.

Jamaica routed the Scots 21-5 in the third quarter before again out-scoring them 17-11 in the final stanza, to come away with a straightforward win.

Captain and veteran goal-shooter Jhaniele Fowler maintained her explosive form with a perfect 37-from-37 while Shimona Nelson, who featured only in the second half, came away with 33 goals from 35 attempts.

Beth Goodwin led the Scots with 18 goals from 19 attempts.

CMC ed/22