A thrilling Four Nations Netball Tournament came to a dramatic conclusion over the weekend in Hong Kong.
At the halfway stage of the competition Ireland had won two out of two, while Singapore and Hong Kong were both tied with one win a piece. The top two sides would advance to Sunday’s grand final, making it all to play for in the final round robin games.
The first game saw Singapore play Grenada. This was a crucial game for Singapore if they were to finish in the top two. Although Grenada had not picked up a victory in the competition so far, they were proving to be tough opposition to play against. In their previous match they led Ireland by five going into the final quarter but an inspired Irish fight back proved to be too much to hold out for the win.
Grenada started well against Singapore too. This was a real back and fourth battle with both sides trading goals in the final third. The game eventually finished 44-44, making it the first draw of the competition. This meant that Singapore’s hopes of reaching the grand final would rely on Ireland defeating Hong Kong.
Photo Credit – Hong Kong Netball Association
Hong Kong needed to win to advance to the grand final that Ireland was already through to. This much like the previous game, was a back and fourth battle with both sides struggling to pull away from each other. It was Hong Kong however, that took a slender lead into half time with a 21-19 advantage.
Hong Kong continued to increase their lead in the third quarter and lead by seven going into the final fifteen. In the previous game against Grenada, Ireland overturned a five goal deficit to win the game, they would need to overturn a seven goal lead if they were to keet their unbeaten run going. The margin proved to be too much for Ireland as they suffered their first defeat of their campaign, 43-32. This result meant that Hong Kong and Ireland would play again the next day in the grand final.
Photo Credit – Hong Kong Netball Association
Finals day at the Kowloon Park Sports Centre started with the third place playoff between Singapore and Grenada. Nothing could separate the two sides on day three, but there had to be a winner this time.
Yet again both sides were inseparable, with both sides going into half time tied at 23 all. This started to change in the third quarter however. Grenada established a lead which took the scores to 41-35 at third quarter time. The six goal margin was too much to overturn for Singapore in the final quarter, as Grenada saw out the win, 52-44, to claim the bronze medal.
The final threw up a lot of interesting questions. Could Hong Kong replicate the same performance of day three or would Ireland find the winning formula again to take the trophy home?
As expected there wasn’t much between the two sides. Ireland had the narrow advantage after the first quarter, leading 9-8. In the second quarter, Hong Kong took control of the lead by a single goal. The scores at half time would read 15-14 in favor of the hosts.
The lead would change hands yet again after the break. Ireland started to establish a two goal lead and finished the penultimate quarter 24-22. The two goal advantage proved to be crucial as Hong Kong couldn’t regain the lead and Ireland saw out a 31-27 victory to become the champions of the Hong Kong Four Nations Netball Tournament.
Full Results
February 8th |
|||
| Ireland | 40 | 26 | Singapore (6pm) |
| Grenada | 38 | 48 | Hong Kong (8pm) |
February 9th |
|||
| Ireland | 35 | 32 | Grenada (5pm) |
| Hong Kong | 36 | 40 | Singapore (8:15pm) |
February 10th |
|||
| Singapore | 44 | 44 | Grenada (4pm) |
| Hong Kong | 43 | 32 | Ireland (6pm) |
February 11th |
|||
| Singapore | 44 | 52 | Grenada (1pm) |
| Hong Kong | 27 | 31 | Ireland (3pm) |
Final Standings
| 1. | Ireland |
| 2. | Hong Kong |
| 3. | Grenada |
| 4. | Singapore |
Photo Credit – More Chaos
