KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Sunshine Girls fell 48-55 to the world number two New Zealand Silver Ferns in their Pool E encounter at the Netball World Cup in Sydney, Australia.

The duel was arguably one of the most exciting of the tournament so far.

The Ferns recognised early on that the Girls – who have never beaten them at the championship level – would not accept defeat easily. Both teams left everything on the court with brisk runs, smothering defences and unbelievable interceptions, blocks and passes, which starred the very physical match-up.

The imposing Ferns netted an impressive 13 of their 55 goals from outside the two-and-a-half-metre mark, while the Girls took all their shots from the inside. New Zealand recorded 14-11, 10-16, 16-10, and 15-11 quarters to outscore the Jamaicans 3 to 1.

The Ferns’ shooting pair of Bailey Mes (19/25) and Maria Tutaia (36/43) were in good form, lobbing in goals seamlessly from all angles. While the Sunshine Girls defensive unit – of Vangelee Williams and Stacian Facey – hustled hard, they could not contain the relentless attack of the Ferns. Facey was especially troublesome but failed to sufficiently unsettle the rhythm of 6-footers, Mes and Tutaia – the most-capped player on the team.

But, on a positive note, the Girls recorded a superior team-shooting percentage (90 per cent to the Ferns’ 80 per cent). The speed, skill, accuracy, and experience of Jamaica’s Paula Thompson and Romelda Aiken kept the team closely competitive. The duo inspired a scintillating second-quarter run which gave the Girls a 27-24 lead going into half-time. The Sunshine Girls kept the momentum going into the final quarter when the pendulum swung in favour of the Ferns, who quickly stamped their authority.

The Girls’ squad remained unchanged the entire fixture and the Ferns made one change. Aiken ended with 41 goals from 44 attempts, while Shanice Beckford offered support with 7 from 9.

Meanwhile, Australia defeated England 51-41 in the Pool F top-tier fixture.

Gorgette Beckford