Singapore excited about Irish test
The 11th edition of the Mission Foods Nations Cup begins at the OCBC Arena today, with hosts Singapore taking on Ireland in the curtain-raiser.
The Republic's netballers, ranked 17th in the world, are eager to open their campaign with a win over the 25th-ranked Irish.
Said skipper Vanessa Lee: "The Singapore team are excited and ready.
"This will be our second tournament as a team, and we look forward to playing in front of the home crowd and making them proud."
Yesterday, captains and vice-captains from five participating countries - Ireland, Canada, Zambia, Botswana and Singapore - were present for a photocall at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, where they shared their goals and aspirations for the week.
AWESOME
Lianna Wong, vice-captain of Team Canada, said: "Being here for the Mission Foods Nations Cup is an awesome experience.
"Singapore is very welcoming and everyone in the team is excited to play tomorrow."
The tournament runs until Saturday, with all 18 matches being played at the OCBC Arena
Making its debut in Singapore in 2006, the Nations Cup has become one of the region's biggest international netball competitions.
The opening ceremony will begin at 2pm today, with Singapore taking on Ireland immediately after at 3pm.
Botswana (ranked 19th in the world) will face Zambia (16th) at 5pm, before Canada (18th) take on Papua New Guinea (15th) in the final match of the day at 7pm.
- HARESH KUMAR RAMANI
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