Defending champions Tshwane and last year’s runners up, Dr Kenneth Kaunda, continued their winning ways on the second day of the SPAR National Netball Championships at the Zwartkloof Private Game Reserve near Bela Bela on Tuesday.
Johannesburg are currently third on the log, with two wins from three matches.
Dr Kenneth Kaunda beat Cape Town by 50 goals to 18 in the first senior match of the day.
“It was a scrappy match,” said Dr Kenneth Kaunda coach Elsje Jordaan.
“I am happy with the win but our conversion rates are not good enough and there is plenty to work on. Two wins will settle their nerves a bit in preparation for our big match against Tshwane tomorrow.”
Jordaan said the absence of three teams was disappointing. Cape Winelands, Mangaung and Nelson Mandela Bay did not send teams because of the Corona virus. “You want your team to get as much game time as possible and to learn how to deal with different styles of play. Most of my players were in the Telkom Netball League (TNL) but some of them have very little experience at this level.”
Cape Town coach Danlee Matthews said her team had made basic errors.
“The girls were a little flustered. Many of them haven’t played competitive netball and they aren’t match-conditioned.”
Johannesburg recorded their second win when they beat Ekurhuleni 42-25. On Monday they beat Cape Town 43-32. They have a day off on Wednesday before meeting Tshwane on Thursday.
In the final match of the day, Tshwane thrashed Cape Town 64-18. This means Cape Town have yet to win a match.
There are only two matches on Wednesday, with interest focussed on the morning match between Tshwane and Dr Kenneth Kaunda. The other match is between the two bottom teams, Cape Town and Ekurhuleni.
“The match against Tshwane is always a tough one,” said Jordaan. “They have developed a culture of winning and they know how to play in a final. Although we took them to extra time in the final last year, we just couldn’t get there. We need to make the most of the match tomorrow to get our heads in the right space.”
Tshwane coach Jenny van Dyk said the match would be a good challenge for her team. “We need to maintain our focus and intensity. They will be the strongest team we have faced, so we need to strategise and work out a good game plan. We will set goals for each quarter and work on achieving those goals.”
The finals will be played on Saturday morning and broadcast live on SuperSport.
#SPARNationalChamps #WeAreAllIn #StopGBV #GBVmustEND
📸 Reg Caldecott
