23 Jan 2015

Sport: Pacific keen for more big tests as NZ sweep Oceania Netball Series

1:52 pm on 23 January 2015

Fiji showed improvement but were still no match for the Silver Ferns in the final Oceania Netball Series clash in Suva on Thursday.

The visitors romped to a 76-34 victory, to complete a clean sweep of the Tri Series, which also featured Samoa.

The start of the match had been delayed by about half an hour because of a power outage on the national grid.

The winning margin was the closest of New Zealand's three matches during the week and nine goals smaller than the opening match between the Pearls and Ferns on Monday.

The series marked the first time the Silver Ferns had played in Fiji and their first test match against Fiji or Samoa in four years.

Samoa coach Marcia Hardcastle hopes they won't have to wait so long until the next.

"We don't have these opportunities...very often and the more we can expose these girls to this type of competition it's only got to be good for the Oceania netballers really and help netball overall, to expose the islands to top netball competition".

Samoa and Fiji are next competing in the Pacific Games in Port Moresby in July, prior to the World Cup in Sydney in August.