Singapore happy, despite losing 75-31 to Malawi
REPORTING FROM SYDNEY
WORLD CUP, POOL C
SINGAPORE 31
MALAWI 75
The scoreline may not have made for good reading, but Singapore coach Ruth Aitken and captain Micky Lin were happy enough with the team's performance in their 75-31 loss to Malawi in a Netball World Cup Pool C match in Sydney yesterday.
New Zealander Aitken said: "We had a lot more courage than we did yesterday (against South Africa), we ran harder, jumped higher and passed faster.
"We knew that the scoreline was always going to be a challenge, but we really wanted to put some of our game together.
"I thought we did that really well, and I thought that the heart and energy in defence was fantastic."
Lin added: "Everyone managed to up her intensity and was more daring in trying stuff out, whereas we were a bit more hesitant during the South Africa game."
Singapore lost 69-21 to world No. 5 South Africa on Saturday.
While the Republic beat the Malawi Queens 65-57 at the 1999 World Championships, a similar result at the Allphones Arena in the Sydney Olympic Park was a tall order.
The South-east Asia Games and Asian champions, physically smaller than their opponents and ranked 15th in the world, were no match for Malawi, the sixth-ranked team who went into the game with an unbeaten record.
While they were never threatened, Malawi goal shooter Mwai Kumwenda was impressed by the grit shown by the Singaporeans.
The 1.83m-tall star said: "This is the first time I have seen Singapore in action this whole World Cup and I didn't expect them to be that tough.
"Everyone in their team was just playing hard and putting in a lot of effort."
South Africa will play Sri Lanka in a Pool C tie today, and Singapore are likely to finish third in the group, which will see them progress to the next stage, where they are likely to form Pool G along with Samoa, Trinidad and Tobago and Zambia.
After three consecutive days, the Singaporeans will have a rest day today, before resuming competition tomorrow.
Aitken said: "The main thing (going into the next stage) is that we have started playing as a team and playing well. We now look like we have confidence in each other."
Lin added: "At this moment, we are going into games not thinking too much.
"For games like this, there's nothing to lose, so we just go in and try things, and sometimes we surprise ourselves."
This is the first time I have seen Singapore in action this whole World Cup and I didn't expect them to be that tough.
— Malawi's goal shooter Mwai Kumwend
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