SINGAPORE: Singapore’s decorated netball vice-captain, Aqilah Andin, concluded her 12-year career with the national team in a blaze of glory, reaching 101 caps in the recent Test Series against Malaysia.
“It’s been a pretty long, challenging journey, and I’m always very grateful for the opportunities that I am given to live my passion. So thank you to everyone who played a part in it. I’m now very excited to do life and spend more quality time with my family,” expressed a jubilant Aqilah, who was honoured by Netball Singapore chief executive Cyrus Medora and given recognition by her peers from both the Singapore and Malaysia national netball teams after the match on Sunday.
Fans will fondly remember her role in securing the 2014 Asian Championship gold and her unwavering leadership on and off the court.
Charmaine Soh is another player who has achieved over 100 caps for Singapore. She announced her retirement last year after Singapore successfully recaptured the Nations Cup crown, which they last won in 2007.
Soh is Singapore’s most-capped player, with 128 appearances with the national team that spanned over 12 years.
The Test Series also saw attack player Lee Pei Shan gaining her 50th cap for Singapore during the final Test Series match against Malaysia.
Lee, at 1.86m, is one of the tallest players in the Singapore national netball team and is part of the squad that won silver at the 2018 and 2022 Asian Netball Championships.
“I am grateful throughout the whole journey and also all the support I have from my friends,” said Lee, who also won the Netball Nations Cup last year.
Singapore displayed a dominant performance throughout all three matches in the Test Series, claiming a 65-41 win in the opening match played on Friday, Feb 15, at the OCBC Arena Hall 3, Singapore Sports Hub.
The subsequent matches were played over the weekend at Our Tampines Hub, with the hosts taking a 68-34 win on Saturday and capping off the Test Series with an impressive 38-goal margin victory of 70-32 against their arch-rivals.
Although Singapore steamrolled past Malaysia in all three matches in the Test Series, the Singapore national netball head coach, Annette Bishop, feels there is still room for improvement, which she hopes the players will work on during their training session before their next matches or competition.
“We had very good patches during the games, but at times, we were a little bit sloppy, so that’s what we need to tidy up for future games,” explained head coach Bishop.
The Singapore-Malaysia test series is a prelude to a packed schedule for the Singapore National Netball Team in 2024, which includes the 2024 Asian Netball Championships, the Mirxes Nations Cup, and the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games.
The next international netball tournament on Singapore shores will be the Mirxes Nations Cup, from Sep 1 to 7 2024. The week-long tournament will see the Singapore Opens and A teams take on Botswana, Canada, the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Ireland.