Sport

Netball team get off the mark

LEADING BY EXAMPLE: Northern Ireland captain Caroline O'Hanlon produced another battling performance against Barbados
LEADING BY EXAMPLE: Northern Ireland captain Caroline O'Hanlon produced another battling performance against Barbados LEADING BY EXAMPLE: Northern Ireland captain Caroline O'Hanlon produced another battling performance against Barbados

THE Northern Ireland netball side recorded their first win of the Commonwealth Games yesterday as they defeated Barbados 49-39 at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.

A strong final quarter saw Elaine Rice’s side run out 10-goal winners to provide the perfect response to defeats to Australia, South Africa and Jamaica. They face Fiji today in another winnable fixture.

Elsewhere, Ballymoney bowler Gary Kelly continued his good start to the tournament with wins over Botswana’s John Gabroute and Kenneth McGreal of the Isle of Man. Those victories have secured him a quarter-final spot with a round of group games still to go.

The women’s triples team, comprised of Erin Smith, Donna McCloy and Sarah McAuley, are also into the last eight after a 28-7 win over Niue.

The women’s pairs had a mixed day, losing to South Africa before bouncing back against India.

Yesterday marked the final day in the swimming pool and the Men’s 4x100m medley relay team came through heat one to qualify for the final. They would go onto finish sixth in the medal race.

In the cycling road race discipline, Marcus Christie finished seventh in the men’s individual time trial while Xeno Young finished 25th.

Eileen Burns finished 11th in the women’s individual time trial after a time of 40:23.51.

It was a good day for the table tennis team as Ashley Robinson, Paul McCreery and Owen Cathcart all won their opening two games in the men’s singles competitions.

In badminton, it was also a good day for Rachael Darragh as she made into the last 32 of the women’s singles following a 2-0 win over Cameroon’s Stella Ngadjui.

Later in the day she teamed up with Sinead Chambers to record another 2-0 win, this time against Jersey in the women’s doubles.

In the mixed doubles, siblings Ciaran Chambers and Sinead Chambers were awarded a walk-over against Douglas Clark and Cheryl March of the Falkland Islands.