Netball World Cup

Lenize Potgieter of South Africa in action during the preliminaries stage one match between South Africa and Trinidad & Tobago at M&S Bank Arena on July 12, 2019 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Netball World Cup 2019: Proteas make a strong start against T&T

The Proteas breezed to a 76-45 win over Trinidad and Tobago in the opening game of their Netball World Cup campaign in Liverpool on Friday.

Netball World Cup

Lenize Potgieter of South Africa in action during the preliminaries stage one match between South Africa and Trinidad & Tobago at M&S Bank Arena on July 12, 2019 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

The Proteas eased to a 76-45 win over Trinidad and Tobago in the opening match of their Netball World Cup campaign in Liverpool on Friday night.

T&T came out of the blocks strongly and netted the opening goal but as the match wore on the Proteas began to boss the mid-court limiting their opponents scoring opportunities.

The opening period was a cagey affair and ended with the Proteas sporting a slender 19-15 lead.

South Africa came out for the second period with a real sense of urgency and quickly built a comfortable lead.

Netball World Cup
Bongiwe Msomi of South Africa in action during the preliminaries stage one match between South Africa and Trinidad & Tobago at M&S Bank Arena on July 12, 2019 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Proteas defensive star Karla Pretorius was a thorn in the side of the Carribean islanders helping South Africa lay down an early marker. The Proteas scored 21 goals to T&T’s 11 in the second period to give themselves a 40-26 lead at the halfway stage.

Bongi starts Netball World Cup with a bang

T&T goal shooter Samantha Wallace was deadly accurate but lacked the kind of service she needed to keep the contest close. South Africa’s skipper Bongiwe Msomi covered an awful lot of the court helping to ensure her team dominated more and more as the match wore on. Msomi notched 31 assists and along with Erin Burger bossed the mid-court so very well.

Lenize Potgieter netted 42 goals from 43 attempts in the first three periods powering South Africa to a 56-34 lead coming into the final period. Potgieter was then withdrawn by veteran coach Norma Plummer with Sigrid Burger coming on to close out the match.

Plummer used her entire bench as the world number five team romped to a clinical victory.

Pretorius claimed four of the Proteas nine intercepts, T&T managed just two of their own as they were overawed by the classy South Africans.

Maryka Holtzhausen of South Africa in action during the preliminaries stage one match between South Africa and Trinidad & Tobago at M&S Bank Arena on July 12, 2019 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

The shooting pair of Potgieter and Maryka Holtzhausen look to be in ominous form and they have put Group favourites Jamaica on notice with a great performance.

Coach Plummer was delighted to be able to give all her players a run saying that she has full confidence in her 12-strong squad.

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