Saturday Dec 14, 2024
Saturday Dec 14, 2024
Monday, 22 July 2019 00:11 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Hishan Welmilla
Asian Champions Sri Lanka finished 15th place in the game ranking when they beat arch rivals Singapore by 78 goals 57 at the 15/16 placing match in the Netball World Cup 2019 in Liverpool.
Sri Lanka coach Thilaka Jinadasa believe the islanders should have finished 13 in the overall ranking if they have capitalised on the opportunities went on begging in the preliminary rounds.
Expressing her views on the entire tournament Sri Lankan Coach Thilaka Jinadasa has said expectations was not full filled as she wanted to be.
“We had a golden opportunity to finish at number 13 if we have won the matches we would have won. This is the first time Sri Lanka faced tense competition in a World Cup and the stamina of our players have to be improved more I realised,” Thilaka explained.
“Some blamed me that I am more concentrated on fitness of the players in my coaching, but anyone can see how the other players’ stranded when it comes to fitness. We have started our training January this year and am happy with overall performance when you consider the time period, we had to prepare but need to improve a lot,” Thilaka continued.
She also expressed her views on the future of Netball after the World Cup. “We don’t have a proper national plan for the game so far. The change of administration time to time will do what they feel is right but not the long-term requirements of the game. We need to have a team of authorities who run long-term plans in development of the game in Sri Lanka.”
Sri Lankans took the match from the start to their favour by finishing the first quarter 23-15, Singapore players played some aggressive netball ball in the second quarter but Lankans managed to win with a margin of seven goals (20-13).
The resistance from the opponents was too hard to handle for Lankans as Singapore players manager to turn-around few Sri Lankan points to their favour. But Sri Lanka managed to secure the win in the third quarter 22-12.
Singapore playing skills was superior than the Lankans in the final quarter that results losing it by 17-13 but it was not enough for Singapore to stop the island nation winning the game and placed themselves in the 16th position in overall standing of the Netball World Cup 2019.
Sri Lanka Team Manager Trixi Nanayakkara also added her views on the event and stressed that looking for future advancement of the game in Sri Lanka is a need of the hour. “We need to find new players and groom them to the higher levels. We need to have a combination of young blood and also players with experience,” Nanayakkara added.
Sri Lanka managed to win two matches in this Netball World Cup and apparently it was Singapore in both occasions.
Sri Lanka lost their three Group A games but apart from the lost from the hands of defending world champions Australia (99-24) the Lankan lasses were able to produce good netball against Zimbabwe (79-49) and Northern Island (50=67). The loss of momentum in both games resulted Sri Lanka being in the losing side.
Lankans met Singapore, Samoa and Fiji in their Round three matches and they reordered the only one victory in the event when they beat Singapore. The next two games against Samoa (55-65) and Fiji (44-59) Lankans would have done better and raise their hopes of climbing the world ranking ladder. (www.srilankasports.com)
