IRISH SUFFER AS AUSTRALIA SHOW INTENT

DEFENDING champions Australia powered past Northern Ireland 88-24 in a display by a team determined to retain their title.

They were seven goals up before the team in green could find a reply.

Northern Ireland’s hopes slumped still further when their captain Caroline O’hanlon was floored by a challenge from Aussie defender Jamie-lee Price (below).

Coach Dan Ryan said his “heart was in his mouth” when he saw O’hanlon on the floor.

“I’m hoping everything will be OK,” he said. “She was assessed by the medical team and will continue to be assessed.”

World Cup debutantes Zimbabwe drew some of the day’s biggest cheers with their supporters’ singing, drumming and dancing filling the M&S Bank arena from the moment they scored their first goal.

The Zimbabwean players were so overwhelmed by the crowd’s support many were in tears when they climbed into the stands to thank them, but not before they had smashed a lacklustre Sri Lanka by 30 goals.

Zimbabwe goal shooter Joice Takaidza said: “It’s a dream. It was so exciting to see the whole arena supporting us like that. We just didn’t expect so many people to be here supporting Zimbabwe.”

Struggling to move the ball in midcourt, Sri Lanka relied on the prowess of 6ft 9in shooter Tharjini Sivalingam, who scored 90 per cent of her team’s goals, but even she couldn’t prevent a 79-49 loss.

New Zealand defeated old foes Malawi 64-45, while Barbados racked up a convincing 69-34 win over Singapore.

Jamaica thrashed Fiji 85-29 in a game that showed the quality of their attacking options and South Africa took Trinidad and Tobago apart 76-45, with captain Bongiwe Msomi in impressive form.