ASIAN CROWN RECLAIMED

Vandas vanquish Sri Lanka 67-64 in extra time to claim netball title last won in 2014

- David Lee

After a decade-long wait and two painful final losses, Singapore are finally the queens of Asian netball again.

In an absorbing Asian Netball Championship decider that ebbed and flowed, the Vandas summoned admirable grit to prevail with an overtime win over defending champions Sri Lanka 67-64 at the Koramangala Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru, India on Oct 27.

The tears flowed freely as the Singaporeans hugged each other in joyful celebration to mark their fourth Asian crown, and their first since they beat the same opponents 59-41 on home soil in 2014.

Co-captain Toh Kai Wei said: "This has been something we have been talking about and targeting the whole year, so we are very happy and proud of our team performance. We were very composed and patient in overtime, pushed our legs and made a lot of movements.

"Of course, it's sweeter to beat them after we lost two finals against them. We beat them twice at the 2023 Netball World Cup, but that didn't show we were top in Asia, whereas this win proves we are now the best in Asia."