The first international tournament of 2020 concluded at the weekend. Saturday 25th and Sunday 26thJanuary saw international netball at its best as New Zealand were crowned champions of the Vitality Netball Nations Cup.
On Saturday the third round of the nations cup had England take on Jamaica to win a place in the final against New Zealand. Ranked 4th in the World Rankings, the Sunshine Girls were determined to prove themselves, overcoming the Vitality Roses and winning themselves a chance to be named champions, the final score 70 – 66. The second game of round 3 saw the World Champions, New Zealand against South Africa. The SPAR Proteas fought hard against the World Number 2 but lost out 48-41.
Finals day, Sunday 26th, proved to be an exciting showcase of international netball. The bronze medal match saw the World Number 3, England take on South Africa, who are ranked 5th in the World Rankings. After a slow start from the SPAR Proteas they closed gap on the hosts, losing out on the bronze medal by 2 goals (final score 65-63).
The gold medal match between the Silver Ferns and the Sunshine girls didn’t let netball fans down. Half time saw the scores equal at 30-30 but after a fiery second half of the match, New Zealand proved why they are the World Champions, claiming the win, 67-56 to be crowned Vitality Netball Nations Champions 2020.
