| Fadhil Yunus |
BRUNEI Darussalam national netball coach Thilaka Jinadasa has hailed her charges after producing their finest performance against continental powerhouses Malaysia despite slipping to a 63-17 loss at the Asian Netball Championships (ANC) in Bang-kok, Thailand.
The Royal Bees were soundly beaten 79-15 in the last edition of the ANC in Singapore in 2014 before succumbing to a set of losses (82-24 and 79-23) in the SEA Games also in the city-state.
The national team has set a specific aim of minimising the score gap against a far experienced team who is one of the main con-tenders for the title.
“As I mentioned before I came to ANC especially with Malaysia and Sri Lanka games, my objective is to reduce the score gap compared with previous encounters and we are working towards it,” Jinadasa told the media.
The ladies’ national team are up against favourites Sri Lanka today and Jinadasa added that the girls are determined to work hard and be strict with their plan.
With Sri Lanka and Malaysia expected to occupy the top two spots in Group ‘B’, the Royal Bees are increasingly primed to finish third of the group.
The Brunei and Malaysia netball teams pose for a group photo with members of management and coach-ing staff. – BNA
Jinadasa added that at this moment in time a meeting with Chinese Taipei is likely when the teams from both groups cross over though it will only be decided until the completion of games.
The national coach has also called her shooters to be more clinical in their remaining fixtures.
“Our shooters really have to step up with their shooting and should keep the momentum as it is,” Jinadasa concluded.
Brunei opened their Asian Netball Championships campaign with a 51-20 win over Japan. They supposed to play Afghanistan last Sunday who pulled out from the competition.
The national team will play Chinese Taipei as it stands with the third-placed side in Group ‘B’ squaring up against the fourth best team in Group ‘A’ on Saturday.
The winner of that match will battle for fifth spot overall on Sunday while the losing team can only finish seventh at best.
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