BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Oct 25, CMC – St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) earned a hard-fought, crucial 49-43 win over hosts Barbados Gems to move up to second place in the Americas Netball World Cup Qualifiers at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex here on Saturday.
With just two rounds of matches remaining, the victory carried the 18th ranked SVG to their fourth win in five matches and catapulted them to 12 points, behind only unbeaten leaders Trinidad and Tobago.
The defeat was the 19th ranked Barbados’ second straight following their shock loss to 40th ranked USA on Friday, and left them in third position on nine points from their five matches, the same as fourth placed USA.
T&T’s Calypso Girls, however, continued to steamroll their way through the tournament with a 62-35 demolition of Saint Lucia, their fifth win in as many matches.
USA maintained pace with the top three by whipping Canada 51-32 to register their third win in five matches, while Grenada thumped the winless US Virgin Islands 60-28 to record their first victory of the tournament.
Saint Lucia and the USA are set to meet in Sunday’s opening game, with St Vincent and Grenada clashing in a crucial encounter.
T&T will be heavy favourites to defeat USVI, while Barbados will need to defeat Canada if they are to have any chance of finishing in the top two.
Only the top two finishers will qualify for next year’s Netball World Cup in Sydney, Australia.
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