Sri Lanka trounce Philippines at Asian Netball C’ships

By Namal Pathirage 

Action from the match between Sri Lanka and the Philippines

reporting from Singapore  
The defending champions Sri Lanka put up a clinical performance to beat the Philippines 99-37 and qualified for the second round of the 12th Asian Netball Championships in 
Singapore yesterday.  

Sri Lanka emerged winners of Group ‘A’ having earlier defeated India in their opening encounter on Saturday. The Philippines also made it to the second round as runners-up of Group ‘A’ having earlier defeated India 45-41.  

Sri Lanka dominated the game and won all four quarters against the Philippines with scores of 27-4, 25-12, 27-9, 20-12 and to complete a convincing 99-37 triumph in the end with Goal Shooter Tharjani Sivalingam playing a dominant role once again. However, this was an improved performance from the Philippines as they were placed ninth in the previous 2018 tournament.  

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Skipper Gayanjali Amarawansa was pleased with the result and commended her players for completing another rousing victory. She further said that the two first round outings against India and the Philippines provided them with some good match experience ahead of the more challenging semi-finals. 

The Sri Lankan Captain emphasised that their prime goal is to win the Asian Championship for the sixth time and qualify for the 2023 World Cup in South Africa. 

Day two results:   
The Philippines beat India 45-41, Singapore beat Maldives 96-10, Brunei beat Chinese Taipei 38-34, Hong Kong beat Thailand 56-29.