LIVERPOOL, England — Jamaica won their second game in a row at the Netball World Cup, beating Caribbean rivals Trinidad and Tobago 68-43 yesterday.

But though they led post to post on Court One inside M&S Bank Arena, it was not an all together impressive show from the Sunshine Girls, ranked number two in the world.

Jamaica captain and star goal-shooter Jhaniele Fowler returned to the starting line-up after coming off the bench in Friday’s tournament opener. She scored 38 goals from 40 attempts, while goal attack Shanice Beckford hit 12 from 14.

Veteran shooter Romelda Aiken, still showing match rust after a recent injury layoff, scored 7 from 13 attempts.

For the world number 10-rated Calypso Girls, Kalifa McCollin shot 19 from 21, while Samantha Wallace was successful on 19 of her 24 tries.

The Jamaicans, who started their campaign with an 85-29 victory over Fiji on Friday, led Trinidad and Tobago 17-15 at the end of the first quarter yesterday.

Thereafter they established command to lead 42-23 at the half, and were up 57-34 going into the fourth and final period. It was Trinidad and Tobago’s second defeat after losing 45-76 to South Africa a day earlier.

Beckford was pleased with the win but noted that the Jamaicans lacked spirit at the outset, particularly on the defensive end.

“It’s good to win, but we started a little bit flat,” she told the Jamaica Observer during the mixed zone.

“We acknowledged that we weren’t marking in the middle, and we made some changes that brought that defensive [rigidity] in the second quarter.

“Outside of that the girls did well out there to actually get back into the game, and they stuck to the goal that we set before we went out there,” Beckford said.

Notably, Jamaica rested standout defender Vangelee Williams with an eye on today’s clash with world number five South Africa.

And the spunky Trinidadians were out of the blocks fast, trying to match the Jamaicans’ movement and physicality.

The Sunshine Girls tightened their lines at the start of the second quarter and went on a 16-0 run for the better part of eight minutes. For the entirety of the quarter they limited their opponents to only eight goals while scoring 25.

Jamaica’s coaching staff, led by Marvette Anderson, rang the changes thereafter, showcasing the depth in the squad while keeping legs fresh ahead of expected tough match-ups for the remainder of the tournament.

Despite the some scrappy play toward the end they coasted to victory, keeping up with main Group C rivals South Africa who are also perfect so far.

Teams:

Jamaica – Jhaniele Fowler, Shanice Beckford, Khadijah Williams, Adean Thomas, Jodi-Ann Ward, Stacian Facey, Shamera Sterling.

Subs: Romelda Aiken, Kadie-Ann Dehaney, Nicole Dixon, Rebekah Robinson, Vangelee Williams.

Trinidad & Tobago – Samantha Wallace, Kalifa McCollin, Rhonda John-Davis, Candice Guerero, Onella Jack, Aniecia Baptiste, Daystar Swift

Subs: Shaquanda Green, Tahirah Hollingsworth, Jameela McCarthy, Shantel Seemungal, Shernece Seemungal.