European World Cup Qualifiers reach pivotal stage with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in contention | Netball News
Scotland, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Wales, Gibraltar and Isle of Man are taking to court in Glasgow and bidding for two places at the 2023 Netball World Cup in South Africa
Last Updated: 14/10/22 4:46pm
Scotland have decisive matches on the way in their bid to book at place at next year’s Netball World Cup (Image credit: Ben Lumley)
The European Netball World Cup Qualifiers have reached a pivotal stage with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all jostling for just two places at next year’s World Cup.
The qualifying round robin tournament features six teams in total – Scotland, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Wales, Gibraltar and Isle of Man.
Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland all remain unbeaten going into the matches against each other.
The trio of teams are also close together in the World Netball rankings, with Wales the highest ranked in eighth, Scotland 10th and Northern Ireland 12th.
Scotland are preparing to take on Northern Ireland on Friday evening before an encounter with Gibraltar on Saturday and then a final clash against Wales on Sunday afternoon.
Wales and Northern Ireland meet each other on Saturday afternoon.
European Netball World Cup Qualifiers
| Wednesday | 2.30pm | Wales 78-22 Isle of Man |
|---|---|---|
| 5pm | Gibraltar 19-68 Northern Ireland | |
| 7.30pm | Scotland 87-17 Republic of Ireland | |
| Thursday | 12pm | Wales 95-19 Gibraltar |
| 2.30pm | Northern Ireland 59-24 Republic of Ireland | |
| 5pm | Isle of Man 20-82 Scotland | |
| Friday | 12pm | Republic of Ireland 23-75 Wales |
| 2.30pm | Isle of Man vs Gibraltar | |
| 5pm | Scotland vs Northern Ireland | |
| Saturday | 12pm | Republic of Ireland vs Wales |
| 2.30pm | Gibraltar vs Scotland | |
| 5pm | Wales vs Northern Ireland | |
| Sunday | 10am | Republic of Ireland vs Gibraltar |
| 12.30pm | Northern Ireland vs Isle of Man | |
| 3pm | Scotland vs Wales |
Former international and Scotland head coach Tamsin Greenway is pleased with how her side have approached the competition, which is taking place on their home court in Glasgow.
“I think it was really important that we carried on the momentum that we felt at the Commonwealth Games, that we added to some of the good stuff that we were doing and fixed some of the things we weren’t happy with,” Greenway said.
“It’s crunch time now, the players have worked really hard to be in this position and they’re ready for it.”
Scotland are taking to a home court for the qualifying competition (Image credit: Ben Lumley)
Claire Maxwell, Scotland’s highly-experienced captain, also believes her team are ready for what’s ahead on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
“Once we are in the huddle, we have to be confident we’ve done all the hard work and it’s about embracing the moment and taking the pressure off ourselves because that’s when we play our best.”
Sara Moore’s Welsh Feathers squad are being led by co-captains Suzy Drane and Nia Jones, with Bethan Dyke, Ella Powell-Davies and Clare Jones all taking up roles as vice-captains.
Northern Ireland’s Fionnuala Toner and Olivia McDonald have been leading the way for their team by delivering player-of-the-match performances. Team-mate Ciara Crosbie is expecting an intense contest against Scotland on Friday.
“It’s a bit of a grudge match, a Celtic clash as always. It will be in front of a home crowd for Scotland, so that will be a good one,” Crosbie said.
“We played them at the Commonwealths fairly recently. We know we can take them. It’s going to be a tight encounter, but if we play our own game… I think we can do it.”
This will be the fourth of five qualifiers for the Netball World Cup 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa. The Americas Netball World Cup Qualifier is the final competition to take place in Kingston, Jamaica starting on October 16.
