The Indian netball team ended their campaign in the Commonwealth Games on a disappointing note as they were mauled by mighty Jamaica 100-27 in their inconsequential last league match at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex in New Delhi. As expected,the match started with the Caribbeans dominating all parts of the court and scoring goals at will against the hosts who were already out of medal contention. The fourth-ranked Jamaicans were too hot to handle for the home team in front of the decent crowd supporting the hosts. By the end of the half time break,the sunshine girls were already in with a huge lead of 53-11. The Jamaican girls used speed and long passing to good effect and their brisk scoring rate threatened to break Australia's goals (113) scored against the hosts on Tuesday. However,the Indians supported by a decent crowd scored,came up with an occasional goal and the stadium erupted every time their shot found the basket. In between,the Jamaicans took advantage of their strong build and many a time Indian defenders looked helpless against the burly 6-foot 3 inch Jamaican Romelda Antonette who netted 40 times in just two quarters. The Indian coach,while acknowledging,that strength was a weakness said that fundamental errors in the match cost them dearly. "Definitely,because of lack of strength,the players are not able to play consistently and I am really disappointed because they are not overcoming their basic errors," coach Panchali Tatke said after the match. Tatke,however,appeared satisfied with the overall performance of the shooters led by captain Prachi Tehlan who scored 19 of the 27 Indian goals. "I am happy with the performance of the shooters,the defence again was the weak link," she added. The captain,though,saw some improvement in her team's showing in the match. "Today's performance was much improved than the last match," Prachi said. This tie was of little consequence for both the teams as the Jamaicans had already made it to the last four and the hosts having lost all their previous matches were waiting for the ordeal to end. With this defeat the hosts finished at the bottom of group A and their next match would be the play-off for the last two positions in the tournament.
