Second win for Gibraltar netball as they beat Switzerland

Gibraltar 51-26 Switzerland

After a disappointing start to the competition, in which Gibraltar were defeated by France, Friday saw Gibraltar bounce back with two well-deserved victories. An early morning victory against Malta was followed by an evening victory against Switzerland, showing why Gibraltar were considered one of the favorites when they entered the competition.

Gibraltar started their evening match on the back foot, conceding two early points before scoring their first. Ruiz was once again on target, scoring two consecutive points and putting Gibraltar in the lead after some intense pressure. They maintained their lead midway through the first quarter, with confidence on the court now showing after their victory against Malta and having put behind the setback from their first game against France.

Still with a chance to be among the top two if they could secure the needed result against Switzerland, Gibraltar extended their lead to 15-10 by the end of the first quarter. Although struggling against the height of the Swiss defenders and initially dropping points, Gibraltar returned to scoring and established a five-point lead at 18-13 midway through the quarter.

Building on their momentum and overcoming the difficulties against the defenders, Gibraltar started to run away with the lead, reaching 24-13 with still three minutes left before halftime. They finished the half in the lead at 26-16.

Their confidence high, they scored first in the third quarter. Although halted as Switzerland regained some points to take it to 27-19, Gibraltar turned things around again, making it 30-19 with six minutes left before the end of the quarter. This was a turning point as Gibraltar took the third quarter to a 33-22 lead, reducing the pressure as they entered the final quarter.

It was an emphatic display by Gibraltar, who, rotating players and bringing on new combinations, were running away with the game. Switzerland were stuck at 23 points until midway through the quarter, while Gibraltar had already reached a tally of 44 points.

Gibraltar did not ease the pace, reducing Switzerland to just four points in the final quarter. A final last-second point made it 51-26 for Gibraltar. This second emphatic victory notched up the points and put pressure on France and Malta in the table.