The Sri Lankan Youth Netball team drew one step closer to being crowned Asian Youth Champions when they defeated the top ranked Malaysian team by a comfortable 16 goals last evening.
Malaysia, who have won the last two Asian Youth Netball Championships and were tipped as pre-tournament favourites were made to look like underdogs in a match dominated by the Lankans.
A key feature of Sri Lanka’s game plan was their adaptability; many of the players were able to switch positions and yet be effective. A prime example of this would be Coach Liyanage’s use of Dulangi Wannithilake.
Prior to leaving for the championship, Wannithilake was tipped to play in the wings and Centre court. Standing at 5 feet 7 inches tall one would not expect her to play in the Goal Attack position, but that is exactly where she did play.
It turned out to be a genius move by the coach as Wannithilake and Wing Attack Gayanjali Amarawansa ran circles around the Malaysian defense. Sri Lanka’s plan A seemed to be to get the ball to Thisala Algama in the shooting circle but failing which Wannithilake showed that she could be just as accurate when taking the shots.
It was nice to see that Sri Lanka was no longer depending solely on their shooter’s height as they had in the past but worked the ball around well. The defensive court was controlled by Captain Gayani Dissanayake.
Her experience at this level shone through as she looked to consistently be in the mix of things, allowing younger compatriots like Dilshani Cabraal to settle into the game gradually. The fitness training that the team underwent also seemed to pay off as by the 3rd and 4th quarters in many instances Malaysia weren’t even competing for the ball off the centre circle.
Wannithilake put away the last goal of the match as it ended 64 – 48 in Sri Lanka’s favour.
Sri Lanka’s reaction at the end of the game reflected just how big of a threat they felt Malaysia was.
Having said that, Sri Lanka will need to refocus as they face another big challenge later today when they play Singapore. Singapore has always been Sri Lanka’s biggest rival in the Asian Netball arena and the Lankans will have to put in a good performance to defeat them.
India overcame a spirited Maldivian side to register their 1st win of the tournament while unseeded Chinese Taipei beat Japan in a nail biting encounter.
Abu Dhabi had an easier run of things as they registered their first win of the tournament by beating Pakistan. Underdogs Brunei beat 6th seed Thailand in their Plate encounter and Singapore had it all their own way against hosts Hong Kong.
Scores – Day 4
Abu Dhabi 44 – 24 Pakistan
Maldives 47 – 50 India
Brunei 43 – 39 Thailand
Japan 39 – 40 Chinese Taipei
Singapore 64 – 26 Hong Kong
Malaysia 48 – 64 Sri Lanka
Matches scheduled for day 5
India vs Abu Dhabi
Maldives vs Pakistan
Chinese Taipei vs Brunei
Japan vs Thailand
Sri Lanka vs Singapore
Malaysia vs Hong Kong
