Netball: No quarter given by Silver Ferns in their 99-11 demolition of Niue

By SHARON LUNDY in Kingston

New Zealand showed discipline to keep pressure on themselves despite poor opposition during their 99-11 drubbing of Niue at the world championship in Trinidad yesterday.

The game was the Silver Ferns' first in the championship and was never likely to be close - Niue coach Tania Karauria admitted she wanted her team to keep New Zealand under 100 and reach double figures themselves. They managed both.

Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken opted for a mix of new and old in her starting line-up, with goal shoot Jodi Te Huna earning her first cap.

Countering her test inexperience was goal attack Belinda Colling, Te Huna's Canterbury Flames team-mate and a 63-test veteran.

They combined well, a mobile Te Huna creating space in the circle for Colling and good feeding options for wing attack Adine Harper and centre Anna Rowberry.

The experienced pair of Lesley Nicol and Sheryl Clarke lined up at wing defence and goal defence respectively, while youngster Anna Scarlett took the goal-keep bib.

Te Huna soon settled her early nerves to put in a strong performance with plenty of flair. By the second half she and Colling were pulling out some slick moves which showed their knowledge of each other's game.

The newcomer's mobility also allowed Colling to put up plenty of shots. Both made 28 attempts in the first half, Te Huna netting 23 for 82 per cent and Colling 24 for 86 per cent.

The situation at the other end of the court was woeful. Goal shoot Savanna Swan netted just two from seven attempts in the first half for 27 per cent, while sister Jayde Swan managed only three from nine in the first 30 minutes.

At halftime, with the Silver Ferns up 47-5, Aitken seized the chance to give the rest of her squad a run.

Irene van Dyk moved into goal shoot, Tania Dalton goal attack, Temepara Clark centre, Leana du Plooy goal defence and Vilimaina Davu goal keep.

The new players took time to settle, but typically accurate shooting from van Dyk and superb defence from Davu kept the goals ticking over and the quarter closed 71-8.

The Silver Ferns lifted their game another notch for the final quarter. Nicol's determination to steal Niue's ball on the circle edge, despite being 80-plus goals ahead and with only minutes to go, typified their attitude.

Aitken later applauded Nicol, saying "sport is not about compassion."

Aitken had initially planned to give the whole squad a run within the first two games, but decided yesterday's was going well enough to do it in one.

"That was great, to be able to bring five new players on and really not miss a beat," she said.

"We've got four more games in this pool, so it's a good start, but we know it's not the pressure of the games that we will be facing soon."

Aitken's biggest concern was the team's tendency to get carried away, a flaw any strong opposition would turn into goals.

"We just got a bit too fast for our own good at times and we need to be able to change that timing so that we can ensure the possession goes through to goal," she said.

"There's plenty still for us to work on.

"But I'm very pleased. I think it's a great team. It's really well balanced. They work well on and off the court and I think that showed out there, that they really enjoy being a team."

Karauria said the game went much as she had expected, but she was pleased her team had kept New Zealand "under a ton."

She was disappointed, though, that her side had lost much scarce possession through their own errors.

"There's not one player on the court [for Niue] that's ever had an opportunity to play at that level, or at National Bank level, so I think it was a shock to the system in the first two quarters, and that showed," she said.

"That's the stuff that we're going to take back to the drawing board and tidy up for tomorrow."

New Zealand play Barbados today and, while the style will be different, the result is again expected to be one-sided.

The two teams played three tests late last year, which the Silver Ferns won by 61, 52 and 62 goals respectively.

- NZPA