SINGAPORE - Unlike last year which saw 500 spectators fill Our Tampines Hub (OTH) for the opening day of the Netball Super League (NSL), Saturday's (Feb 8) first day of the new season was a more muted affair.
Singapore upped its disease outbreak response to the coronavirus to Code Orange on Friday, which meant that the NSL kicked off behind closed doors.
With no fans allowed in for all three matches, it was left to players and officials from the six teams to enliven the mood.
Sneakers Stingrays captain Jane Tan said: "Every year, our club supporters come down to support us, so they were disappointed.
"But the players on the bench were quite loud and we tried to hype each other up and echo our coach's instructions."
Her team notched a convincing 65-47 win over last year's runners-up Mission Mannas, avenging their 54-53 loss to the Mannas in last year's preliminary final.
Tan, 26, added: "We wanted to win going into this game. But last year we lost to Mannas by one, so to win by such a big margin is definitely going to lift the spirits in the team."
Sneakers coach Goh Seck Tuck was pleased with the winning start, commending the effort of his younger players like Angelina Lim.
He said: "I'm happy with the overall performance and the understanding within the team. Our Under-21 players are performing and the defenders also fought very hard.
"Getting this win is important in terms of morale because the Mannas are the strongest team in the league."
The Sneakers shrugged off a nervy start to take the lead 16-12 after the first quarter. They pulled ahead 36-26 at half-time and stretched their advantage even further, ending the third period 50-35 ahead.
Goal attack Toh Kai Wei was in fine form for the Sneakers, converting 28 of her 30 attempts while goal shooter Wong Pei Ying missed just five of her 39 shots.
Mannas coach Yeo Mee Hong felt her side had started well, but admitted they needed time to work on the connections in the team.
Her team face defending champions Blaze Dolphins next Saturday. She said: "This game has given me an opportunity to work on different combinations and areas to tighten up.
"Our connections in attack were missing, but we'll be working on that going into the next game. We've got to come back stronger because we're meeting Blaze."
In the day's other fixtures, Magic Marlins beat Llabten Narwhals 61-42 while Swifts Barracuda staged a comeback to defeat Blaze 38-31.
