Glasgow 1987

Champions: New Zealand (3rd Title) Runners Up: Australia & Trinidad & Tobago Dates: June 11-24, 1987 Venue: Crownpoint Sports Park (Outdoors) Host City/country: Glasgow, Scotland Number of Teams: 17 Matches Played: 92 Number of Goals Scored: 7,449

Silver Ferns rule in the Rain

 

In complete contrast to the scorching Singapore heat four years ago, the 7th staging of the Netball World Cup took place in a rainy Glasgow, and was the last World Cup to be held outdoors.

Redemption

Four years previous in Singapore, New Zealand were declared the favorites for the title by many but were defeated by Australia in the final. This time around the Silver Ferns were determined not to experience the same disappointment and the aim quite clearly was to leave Scotland with a third World title.

Coach Dame Lois Muir had nothing but praise for her players. “They were a wonderful group of young ladies who knew where they wanted to be because they worked for it. They didn’t want to go through seventy three again.”

 

England v New Zealand

Seven players of the squad that lost in seventy three were back, with an opportunity at redemption. One of those was the captain, Leigh Gibbs: “We were bitterly disappointed to lose in Singapore, there was a sense that if we get the chance again, this wasn’t going to be how we feel”.

Gibbs reflects that leading up to the tournament, New Zealand didn’t have the best of years. “Nineteen eighty-six had been a terrible year. We had a Test Series between Jamaica and Australia and ourselves. We got beaten. We received a lot of media flack and there was very public comment and criticism.”

Ultimately, the Silver Ferns achieved that redemption and would go on through the tournament unbeaten, with no team getting within 10 goals of them throughout the entire competition.

This was Dame Lois Muir’s fourth and final time coaching the Silver Ferns at the event, which still remains the record number of times that anybody has coached New Zealand at the competition.

Following her retirement in 1988, Dame Lois continued her involvement in the sport as a coaching director, team mentor before later becoming the President of Netball New Zealand. Dame Lois was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1993 and was appointed as a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in recognition of services to sports administration and netball in 2004.

 

Seventeen teams competed at the 7th World Netball Tournament, with Cook Islands making their tournament debut. They finished a joint 6th place in their first outing on the world stage.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Jean Pierre kept up her 100% appearance with the event. Jean played at the first five editions (63, 67, 71, 75 & 79) and was the coach in 1983 and in 1987. This was the last tournament that featured Jean in these roles and she led her side to a joint second placed finish.

Final Standings

1st – New Zealand

=2nd – Australia

=2nd – Trinidad & Tobago

4th – England

5th – Jamaica

=6th – Barbados

=6th – Cook Islands

8th – Fiji

9th – Scotland

=10th – Bermuda

=10th – Canada

=10th – Northern Ireland

13th – Wales

14th – Papua New Guinea

15th – Republic of Ireland

16th – Sri Lanka

17th – Malaysia

 

 

Video credit – SilverFernsTV