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THE Zimbabwe netball team began their Hong Kong Tri-Nations campaign with a 52-28 victory over Malaysia at the Kowloon Park Sports Centre yesterday.
The Gems were the first out of the blocks and subsequently took the opening set 12-5.
Momentum was with Zimbabwe going into the second set, which they comfortably won 28-14 going into the main breather.
Malaysia fought hard in the third stanza, scoring 10 goals against Zimbabwe’s nine, but a good first half ensured the Gems went into the final stanza leading 37-28.
The gulf in class was apparent in the last stanza, which saw Zimbabwe, ranked 17th in the world, scoring 15 goals against their opponent’s four. Malaysia are ranked 19th in the world.
Zimbabwe captain Perpetual Siyachitema hailed her team for an impressive team effort.
“The girls played extremely well although our opponents were too physical. In the first minutes we had a big challenge, but we managed to adjust well. We defended well as a team and had a lot of turnovers,” said Siyachitema. Zimbabwe will take on the hosts Hong Kong in their second match today.
— Sportszone.co.zw
Online Reporter