Goalshooter Samantha Wallace and goalattack, Joelisa Cooper, the team captain combined for all the goals as T&T Calypso Girls won their first match at the 14th Netball World Cup, overcoming neighbours Barbados 55-39 at the Allphones Arena, Sydney, yesterday.
It was the third straight World Cup win for the tenth ranked T&T over the ninth ranked Barbadians as the crowd was treated to a feast of Caribbean style netball with physical challenges, clashes, deflections and intercepts.
In their last World Cup meeting back in 1999 in Christchurch, New Zealand, T&T won 47-46 and when the teams met in 1979 in the Netball World Cup in Port of Spain, T&T triumphed 51-26 on the way to ending as joint winners with Australia and New Zealand.
The match-up between Calypso Girls' shooter Wallace and the Bajan Gems' goalkeeper Shonette Bruce was crucial as Barbados was able to capitalise on errors from T&T to lead 13-10 at the end of the first quarter despite two stunning intercepts from T&T's wing defence Onella Jack.
Both teams were unchanged heading into the second quarter as the Bajan Gems' goalshooter Shonica Wharton proved an essential target for Barbados in the goal circle.
But at the other end of the court, Wallace with nine goals from ten attempts and Cooper with four of five steadied the ship as T&T levelled the score early in the quarter and from there it was a goal for goal tousle as neither side could establish dominance with the half time score 23-21 in the Calypso Girls' favour.
Barbados' Sheniqua Thomas was introduced into goal attack at the start of the second half as the Calypso Girls established a break of seven goals early in the quarter with Wallace (11/12) and Cooper (4/4) making their presence felt, but pressure from Barbados meant the margin was reduced to five with T&T leading 38-33 at three quarter time.
Bajan Gem's Faye Sealy was substituted for injured Wharton late in the final term but the Calypso Girls' were able to punish Barbados for errors, converting on the scoreboard and winning the fourth quarter 17-6 thanks to Cooper's nine from ten and Wallace eight of eight to run out 55-39 winners.
Speaking after the match, Jack, who played the entire match along with the rest of the T&T starters felt the tough matches against Australia and New Zealand prepared them for the win while admitting the victory meant a lot to her team over their Caribbean rivals.
T&T ended Pool A play with a 1-2 record while Barbados ended winless.
Four-time champions New Zealand won the pool with a 3-0 record after it broke ten-time champions Australia's 21-match winning streak with a hard fought 52-47 win in front of a world record crowd of 16,233 fans.
In other matches, eighth ranked Wales toppled 18th-ranked Zambia 71-44 in Pool D; England remained undefeated in Pool B with a 85-34 win over Samoa while in Pool C, Malawi crushed Singapore, 75-31.?