Kenya’s Struggle Continues in Pacific Aus Netball Series with Defeat Against Tonga

Kenya’s National Women’s Netball team, the Divas, faced their second consecutive loss in the Pacific Aus Sports Netball Series on Tuesday, which started on Monday in Gold Coast, Australia.

In their first match, they lost to Zambia with a score of 49-45, and in their second pool ‘B’ match, they were defeated 71-44 by the dual-series champions Tonga.

With two losses in their pocket, the Kenyan team has a daunting task ahead of them as they need to win their next game against Singapore to revive their hopes of making it to the semi-finals.

The final preliminary match against Singapore will take place on Wednesday. The series is the third edition and a critical tournament for the international netball teams preparing for the 2023 Netball World Cup in July.

For the first time, African nations Kenya, Malawi, and Zambia are participating in the tournament in Australia, along with returning teams Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Singapore, and Tonga.

The inclusion of these African nations provides an opportunity for Pacific partner countries to enhance their performance through exposure to teams they seldom compete against.

Funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and organized under the PacificAus Sports program, the series highlights the skills, talent, and athleticism of Pacific netball athletes.

The tournament also aims to provide high-level competition for the national teams of Netball Australia’s PacificAus Sports partners.