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.