Singapore announce team for Mission Foods World Netball Championships 2011

Singapore, Monday, June 6, 2011 — Singapore announced their team for the upcoming 2011 Mission Foods World Netball Championships. Eight of the players named were members of the 2007 World Championship Team (Auckland, NZ), with 21 and Under players, Chen LiLi and Nurul Baizura, getting their first opportunity to compete in this world class event.

One player is still to be added to the team in the shooting area with Cassandra Soh ruled out of contention because of a recently diagnosed stress fracture injury. This choice of player must be decided by July 3rd.

Captain Jean Ng, one of the highest capped international players heading into these World Netball Championships with 86 caps, said: “The team is very excited to be playing at home in front of family and friends and to show them the level of netball we’re involved in. There’s a depth of talent within the team and we’re confident of a credible performance.”

Alongside her will be Lin Qingyi, the 25-year-old circle defender who has been selected as Vice-Captain.

Although a relatively predictable side, given the recent performances against Malaysia, a surprise inclusion is former Singapore and England national shooter Asha Tett. Asha represented England, the current World No.3 team, at the World Youth Cup and Open European Championships and donned Singapore colours at the Asian Championships. She also played alongside Irene van Dyke for Bay of Plenty Magic in New Zealand’s National Bank Cup, and Pamela Cookey for TeamBath in the Fiat SuperLeague in the UK.

Nine players remain from the gold medalist 2005 Asian Championships team, including Tett, who partnered Tan Hui Yan in the shooting circle.

The upcoming championship will be the third for both Jean Ng and Melbourne-based Premila Hirubalan, whose netball careers span over 12 years each. Circle defender, Hirubalan who competed at the 1999 and 2007 competition, currently has 69 caps. Her vast experience at major competitions will be an asset to the team going into the event. With her agile and powerful defending technique, she will be a player to watch.

At 62 caps, Pearline Chan, who presented alongside Jean Ng at the conference that won Singapore the bid to host the competition in July, will bring her experience from the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games and the 2007 World Netball Championships to the centre court.

Kate Carpenter, Head Coach said of the selection: “All the players are very deserving of their selection. It’s an exciting team for Singapore.”

Meanwhile, Netball Singapore are waiting to hear if 21 year old Goal Keeper, Chen Lili who stands at 196cm, will be granted Singapore citizenship in time for the Championship.

Preparations for the competition continue. The Australian Institute of Sport netball team will be based in Singapore from June 17th as training partners for the Singapore squad. Singapore will play New Zealand’s Silver Ferns on June 30th and Northern Ireland on July 1st as final practice matches before the competition commences on July 3rd.

The Mission Foods World Netball Championships 2011 will be held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium from July 3rd to 10th, 2011. Daily tickets for the tournament are currently available through SISTIC at www.sistic.com.sg and at SISTIC counters.

Singapore Squad
Jean Ng (Captain), Lin Qingyi (Vice-Captain), Pearline Chan, Chen Hui Fen, *Chen LiLi, Premila Hirubalan, Vanessa Lee, Li Ling, Nurul Baizura, Charlene Porima, Asha Tett, One Player tbc

Team Officials
Kate Carpenter – Coach, Yeo Mee Hong – Assistant Coach, Lee Min Li – Manager, Simon Raftery – Physiotherapist, Cormac O’Muircheartaigh – Doctor, Jill McIntosh – Technical Consultant, Annette Pearce – Performance Analyst

*subject to citizenship approval

Fans can also receive news and insights of the Mission Foods World Netball Championships 2011 on these social media channels:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wnc2011
Twitter: http://twitter.com/WNC2011
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/netballsingapore
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wnc2011