Netball: Ferns farewell former team-mate

By Suzanne McFadden

The Silver Ferns sang farewell to their former team-mate Leilani Read at a tearful ceremony last night.

An emotional New Zealand team sang You've Got A Friend at the family service for Read, who died following a brain haemorrhage on Tuesday.

The Ferns drove to Wellington yesterday afternoon after their four-day camp in Wanganui, building up to next month's world championships.

They spent an hour sitting at Read's open coffin at the marae on the Mana College grounds in Porirua, before attending the service.

They had painted ponga fronds silver to place on the coffin. The players will form a guard of honour at today's funeral.

Read played for the Silver Ferns in 1992 and 1993, represented Samoa at the 1995 world championships, and was reselected for New Zealand in 1996.

She was to have played for Samoa again at the world championships in Christchurch.

New Zealand coach Yvonne Willering said Read's sudden death had rever-berated through the training camp.

"As soon as we arrived in camp we sat down and talked about it very openly. It was probably really good that the team were all together," she said.

"A number of times during the games we had this weekend you could see some of the players weren't quite with it - and that was to be expected."

The Ferns played four games against the New South Wales Institute of Sport, with two minor casualties.

Two defenders suffered ankle injuries - Linda Vagana and Lorna Suafoa - with Vagana sitting out yesterday's game.

"It was simply precautionary. Lorna was still able to play," Willering said.

Playing NSW gave the Silver Ferns another taste of Australian netball before the world championships.

"We hadn't played against the Australian style since February, so it was a good shakedown," Willering said.

"We feel as though we have experienced every style we'll come up against - we played the Canterbury men's team in our last camp to get the aerial Caribbean style of game.

"We'll probably play a men's team again before the world champs."

In 10 days the Ferns will get together in Queenstown for their final camp before the world championships begin on September 21.