Women start well in 3x3 basketball

 The New Zealand women’s 3x3 basketball team made the perfect start to their Games programme when they won their first two matches.

The New Zealanders – Tiarna Clarke, Kalani Purcell, Jillian Harmon and Ella Fotu – won a nip and tuck first-up encounter with home favourites England 15-14, then returned to the court shortly after to soundly despatch Canada 21-11.

Harmon proved a reliable points scorer in both matches, but Clarke, who did not get on the scoresheet in the England game, was much more of a threat against Canada and was the top scorer with nine.

The New Zealand men – Richard Rodger, Tai Wynyard, Dominique Kelman-Poto and Jayden Bezzant – lost both their matches. England beat them 21-10 and Australia beat them 21-11.

The abbreviated form of basketball, new to the Commonwealth Games, proved particularly popular with spectators.