The Fiji Pearls yesterday went down to the Malawi Queens 62-48 in the second pool phase of the Netball World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa.
Despite the Pearls initially taking the lead in the first few minutes, their efforts were not enough to contain a strong Malawi side.
Fiji Pearls coach Una Rokoura made changes too late, as Malawi took the lead in the first quarter with a 20-10 advantage.
In the second quarter, Malawi maintained their lead while the Pearls relied heavily on their backline for centre passes.
Fiji maintained good discipline on the court, but that wasn’t enough to catch up to the Malawi Queens, who were in the lead with a score of 23-36 in the second quarter.
In the third quarter, Malawi came out even stronger with a 34-47 lead, not giving up any chances for the Pearls to catch up to them.
Despite their efforts, Fiji was still denied a win in the last quarter as Malawi sealed the deal with a victory.
Fiji Pearls head coach, Unaisi Rokoura, is proud her team is playing their own style of game at this year’s Netball World Cup.
So far the Pearls have won only one game against Zimbabwe, while losing the matches against Tonga and Australia and Malawi. Rokoura says the match against Australia has increased the experience level among the Pearls.
Fiji Pearls will face England in their next match.
