JAMAICA ENDED their first round of the 2005 World Youth Netball Championships in impressive fashion, demolishing hosts the United States 87-13, leaving themselves atop Pool B going into the second round.
The Jamaicans put on a dominant performance with, 6' 4" Romelda Aiken once again using her height to good advantage in thrusting the Jamaicans into an early 22-4 lead in the first quarter.
The second quarter was just as good for the Jamaicans as they once again kept the U.S. to just four points while they scampered on to a 39-8 lead.
The third quarter brought much of the same, as the partisan crowd cheered the U.S., who made it to double figures but had to watch as the Young Sunshine Girls raced to a 68-11 lead.
After the game, Jamaica's coach, Joan Cargill, said she was proud of the way the team had been performing and expected bigger and better results.
"I'm just expecting the girls to do better as the tournament goes on." Cargill said. "They have been doing well, the team is gelling, there is more cohesiveness and I just expect them to do what they have to do in the second round," she said.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE
In the second round, Jamaica have been drawn in Pool F where they will play against Malaysia, Trinidad and Tobago and Botswana. Jamaica's biggest challenge in that group will be the Malaysians who were second in Pool A and only lost one game when they played the No. 1-ranked Australians.
Australia, like the Jamaicans, have been perfect thus far, winning all their games by handsome margins.
To start the second round Jamaica have a game against Botswana, who were the fourth-place team in Group C and found the going tough, especially against New Zealand, who as the No. 3-ranked team in the competition, have also not dropped a game and have played in just as dominant fashion to the other top two ranked teams.
NOT CONVINCING
Trinidad and Tobago arrive in Pool F after placing third in Group D. That group was led by England and had close rivalries for the final positions, with three teams ending with three points and having to use goal difference to decide the placings.
England were the only team to have walked away unscathed from the fracas, but they were not convincing, beating teams expected to provide little challenge by small margins, unlike the top three teams ahead of them.
In the other three groups to comprise the second round, Australia, as the winners of Pool A, will be grouped in Pool E where they have to contend with South Africa, Wales and Fiji.
New Zealand will head up Pool G that includes Western Samoa, Scotland and the U.S. England are expected to be the top team in Pool H where they should have the easy task of fighting off the challenges of Northern Ireland, Canada and Scotland at dethroning them.
