Jamaica too fast, too tall for disappointing Ferns

AUCKLAND: The Silver Ferns have been shocked by Jamaica, beaten 5951 in their second match of the Taini Jamison Trophy last night.

For the first time in 16 years and third in their history, Jamaica claimed victory over the Silver Ferns, and did it emphatically in the end.

The Silver Ferns’ performance was a stark contrast of the previous night’s 7542 thrashing of Malawi, and is a result that will raise serious questions in the runup to next month’s Commonwealth Games.

The Ferns were playing catchup from the first quarter, desperately trying to keep up with Jamaica, which lived up to its unorthodox reputation with surprisingly fast and feisty play.

The Ferns managed to tie the first quarter 1313, but slowly gave away too many opportunities, handing the Sunshine Girls a threepoint lead by halftime.

It was a battle of the captains in Jamaica’s circle, as Jhaniele FowlerReid and Katrina Grant fought for possession, but FowlerReid’s height advantage gave Jamaica the upper hand.

Jamaican defender Shamera Sterling was also a tough opponent, leaving shooters Te Paea SelbyRickit and Bailey Mes little opportunity to land muchneeded goals.

The Jamaicans’ tight defence in the circle meant Mes was forced to take more longrange shots, and with the absence of injured sharp shooter Maria Folau, the Ferns struggled to close the gap on the scoreboard.

Defender Temalisi Fakahokotau was back on the court in the third quarter, after sitting out the Ferns’ win over Malawi due to a sprained ankle, and her brave and ambitious defensive tactics had an immediate impact on the court.

However, it was not enough to help the Ferns claw back into the clash, as Jamaica held its threepoint lead well into the final quarter.

As the Ferns struggled to maintain a consistent flow on court, Jamaica opened to a handy buffer, which its main tained until the end.

The Silver Ferns will face Fiji tonight before the finals tomorrow afternoon.

In the earlier match, World No 6 Malawi shook off the cobwebs with a 6752 win over Fiji.

Malawi came out with more energy last night and dominated the first half against the 12thranked Fijians, leading 4021 at halftime.

Fiji launched a stirring thirdquarter comeback and trailed 3649 at the final break, but Malawi managed to reassert some control to take the last quarter 1816 and close out the win. — NZME/Additional reporting NZN