Round Up: Netball World Cup
30th July 2023
Scottish Thistles will advance to Pool F after securing a win in first group stage in Netball World Cup.
Three games down in South Africa and at the end of round one, Scotland have secured their third-place finish in Pool B. They will now move forward with England and Malawi to form Pool F where they will meet Australia, Tonga and Fiji.
Speaking after the match Tamsin Greenway reflects on the first few days,
“What has come out of the first few games is that they are taking on tactical information a lot better, I’ve learned that we’ve now got some impact changes and I’ve been so proud of how they’ve stepped up, I mean we have seven players who had never been to a World Cup.
As a group they are constantly learning how to lead, how to create a culture and about the game and that is so important because you’re playing different styles and back-to-back games. But the group are having a lot of fun together and I think that is really important too.”
Game 1:
“We wanted to challenge Malawi and I’m gutted we didn’t come away with the win, but to lead one of the top six teams in the world for three out of four quarters and lose it on inexperience in the end, I’m really proud of that performance. It was a rollercoaster.
Game 2:
We wanted to beat Barbados and in reality it was a must-win. But they really put up a fight. I think they saw us as the game that they could get over the line. We rode it out and it wasn’t a pretty game, but a win is a win.
Game 3:
“The plan was to attack the gap, keep challenging and to get all 12 players on court and exposed and to keep learning.”
Looking ahead to the next stage of the competition and what success looks like for the Scottish Thistles, Greenway says;
“I don’t want to put a number on it. The dream would be around 7th/8th but if we are in the 9th/10th or 11th/12th playoffs then we want to at least finish with a final win.
We have an opportunity here to finish in the top 10, that hasn’t happened for Scotland in the modern era.
We have such a young group of players some of whom will have another two maybe three cycles and that is really exciting. We really are at the start of our journey.
Pool F:
Australia
England
Tonga
Malawi
Scotland
Fiji
