After being humbled by reigning champions New Zealand in their opening Vitality Netball World Cup contest, Trinidad and Tobago’s Calypso Girls bounced back in style, as they bettered Singapore 49-36, but it was not the same for Barbados Gems, who suffered a second-consecutive defeat in a 44-53 scoreline against Scotland in Cape Town, South Africa on Saturday.

The Calypso Girls, who lost 27-72 to number two-ranked Silver Ferns on Friday, were always favoured to come up trumps against Singapore and that they did to keep their hopes of progressing to the business round of the tournament alive.

Co-captain Afeisha Noel lead from the front with 38 goals from 44 attempts, with Joelisa Cooper and Tiana Dillon contributing three and eight goals and from four and nine attempts respectively, as Trinidad and Tobago led from start to finish.

Amandeep Chahal 23 goals from 31 attempts and Kai Wei Toh, 13 goals from 28 attempts offered Singapore’s resistance.

With the win, Trinidad and Tobago moved to two points, same as Uganda who lost 44-54 to Pool D leaders and tournament favourites New Zealand, on four points.

The Calypso Girls Head coach Joel Young-Strong took heart from her team’s performance heading into their final contest against Uganda on Sunday.

“It is an awesome feeling, sometimes we were a bit off track with the goal and plan that we had and the things that we worked on and talked about. But it was good to see them correct the errors and go back to playing the way we wanted them to play which was good,” Young-Strong said in a post-game interview.

“We learnt from the first game that we had to be extra patient and we had to manage the ball even better and we did that in this game to some extent. We made some adjustments because we didn’t want to take anything for granted where Singapore is concerned and I am just happy for this win,” she added.

Barbados Gems were unable to say the same, as they found Scotland too good on the day, though both teams went to the half time break locked at 23-23.

Scotland, who had suffered an agonising defeat against Malawi in Friday's Pool B opener, capitalised on a number of unforced errors by the Gems at the backend of the game to secure a victory which positions them well to progress to the next stage.

Beth Goodwin 13 goals from 19 attempts, Niamh McCall 29 goals from 31 attempts and Emma Barrie 11 goals from 14 attempts, got the job done for the Scots.

Meanwhile, Latonia Blackman 20 goals from 22 attempts and Kadeen Corbin 24 goals from 27 attempts, lead the fight for Barbados.

The result meant the Gems are on the verge of being eliminated from contention and must win against Malawi on Sunday to remain alive. England, who defeated Malawi 62-39, head Pool B on four points.

Though again plagued by turnovers, Corbin believes it was a much-improved performance from the team.

“I thought we played really well, we just lost it at the last minute, but I think what we did positive in the first game, we improved on that today and we actually kept pushing and showing that we have the fight.

“We did lose a little bit of connection in attack at one point, but we spoke about it quickly on court and rectified that as soon as possible and once we got going, we kept on chugging away. But it was a bit too late and at the end it wasn’t enough,” Corbin shared.

“I give credit to all my teammates who fought on that court today. We got Malawi to come which is not going to be an easy game, we are going to have to fight to the last whistle. Hopefully, what we did positive today we can do better tomorrow and compete as best as we can,” she added.

Trinidad and Tobago, like every other team at the Vitality Netball World Cup, have big ambitions.

Though achieving those are easier said than done, particularly where winning the title is concerned, Head coach Joel “Twiggy” Young-Strong, has every confidence that her team will perform with much gusto and prove competitive throughout the tournament in Cape Town, South Africa.

The twin island republic, currently ranked at 10 in the world, is grouped in Pool D alongside Uganda, Singapore, and defending champions New Zealand.

"We have taken a clinical approach for each match, carefully tracking their performances in the lead up to the World Cup, while ensuring the team is building momentum towards the opening clash against New Zealand," Young-Strong told SportsMax.tv.

"Our realistic goals are to improve our rankings and to minimize goal difference, as well as to increase our goals against each of these teams per quarter. We would also like to capture the audience with our rhythmic style and flare, hence the reason why we are called the Calypso Girls," she added.

While they may be small in stature, when compared to the top ranked teams, it should be noted that Trinidad and Tobago is one of only three teams to have lifted the Netball World Cup trophy in the tournament’s 60-year history.

The other two are of course powerhouses Australia and New Zealand. 

Trinidad and Tobago boast this unique distinction, having shared the title with Australia and New Zealand in 1979. Back then the tournament was played over two round-robin group stages with no play-offs, and after the three nations all finished with eight wins and one loss, they were declared joint winners.

They also placed second and third at the 1983 and 1987 editions and though they have lost competitive shape to some extent, that legacy still lives on in the Caribbean team.

In fact, Young-Strong, a former international umpire, pointed out that her team has drawn inspiration from those teams of the past, especially with one member of the championship winning team Peggy Castanada, still involved on the coaching side.

"It is an Honor to be counted amongst the great. It is always a feeling of nostalgia and what we will use to inspires our Calypso Girls to work towards and continue the journey for greatness. I believe that it (winning the title again) is not out of our reach, but we have to start from the ground up and build different and strong foundations," the coach noted.

Despite losing Samantha Wallace to injury, Young-Strong revealed that things are gradually falling into place in terms of readiness, with the likes of Afeisha Noel, Shaquanda Green-Noel and Daystar Swift, among others, expected to carry the fight.

"The preparation has been a challenge. Moreso with the absence of Samantha Wallace due to her injury. Nevertheless, the team continues to build capacity with a blend of experienced and young talent. They have settled down quite nicely coping and adjusting as we go along and the preparation is ongoing, so we are expecting them to give of their best when game time comes," she ended.

The Calypso Girls plays the opening match of the tournament against New Zealand on July 28 with a clash against Singapore the following day before they come up against Uganda on July 30.