1.45pm - By SHARON LUNDY
KINGSTON - New Zealand continued their march through World Netball Championships round-robin here play today with a 84-45 win over Barbados this afternoon.
Silver Ferns Coach Ruth Aitken again mixed up her starting line-up; captain and wing attack Anna Rowberry, goal attack Belinda Colling, goal defence Sheryl
Clarke and centre Temepara Clark were joined by Leana du Plooy at goal keep, Anna Scarlett at wing defence and Tania Dalton at goal shoot.
The Silver Ferns forced a turnover off the first centre pass and quickly converted, then followed up to score off their own pass.
Barbados didn't immediately lie down, keeping in touch for the first quarter.
However, the Silver Ferns started piling on the pressure and soon pulled ahead, taking the first 15 minutes 21-13.
Colling, wearing a black armband following the death of her uncle, former All Black Lin Colling, followed up yesterday's strong performance with another solid showing.
She and Dalton did not combine as well as Colling and new cap Jodi Te Huna did in yesterday's 99-11 drubbing of Niue.
But they were strong enough to prompt Barbados coach Harriet Waithe to replace her first quarter circle defenders, Paula Greaves and Laurel Browne, with Latonia Blackman and 17-year-old Rhe Ann Niles.
The combination was more effective and but still unable to shut down the Silver Ferns, who finished the first half 41-24 ahead.
Aitken had yesterday expressed concern about her team's tendency to get too fast for themselves -- a flaw which showed again in today's first half.
She made three changes for the third quarter, bringing on Irene van Dyk at goal shoot, Lesley Nicol at wing defence and Vilimaina Davu at goal keep. Those three, combined with Rowberry, Clark, Clarke and Colling, showed why they are New Zealand's strongest seven as the scoreboard ticked over to a 20-goal, then 30-goal margin.
Nicol was again tireless on defence, at one point forcing three turnovers within two minutes.
Ahead 68-33 at three-quarter time, Aitken again changed her line-up. Adine Harper came on at wing attack, Rowberry moved to centre and Scarlett came back on at goal defence.
Other games:
St Vincent 45 Wales 37
Sri Lanka 81 Cayman Islands 36
Scotland 41 Hong Kong 18
St Lucia 49 Northern Ireland 35
Canada 47 Grenada 37
Antigua 54 Bermuda 29
Trinidad and Tobago 48 United States 42
England 52 Fiji 30
Cook Islands 47 Niue 37
Australia 76 Samoa 27
Jamaica 54 South Africa 33
- NZPA
