Round two of SPAR Diamond Challenge saw SPAR Proteas face off against the Zimbabwe Gems. South Africa comes into this match high in confidence following their win against Scotland in their opening match, Zimbabwe lost against President’s XII.
Norma Plummer gave Izette Griesel, Nicola Smith and Lenize Potgieter a rest for today and this opened the door for Refilwe Nketsa, Nomfundo Mngomezulu and Boitumelo Mahloko.
Even with the new faces in the team, SPAR Proteas were very dominant against a very physical Zimbabwe side. Mahloko and Nketsa made the starting seven whilst Mngomezulu came in at third quarter in place of Nichole Taljaard.
South Africa continued dominating the match and winning every single quarter of the match and making sure that they continue their winning streak. This was the tenth meeting between the two sides and the SPAR Proteas are yet to lose against the Zimbabwe Gems
“Our game plan for today was very different from that of yesterday. With today’s game, players were told to stick to their opponents and make sure that they do not pass the ball freely and easily. We got a chance to give younger players a run against an unorthodox style of play which we highly appreciate. It is always easier to play against a structured team because you know what to expect and better to analyse,” said SPAR Proteas assistant coach Dumisani Chauke.
Quarter Score breakdown
Q1 SPAR Proteas 20 – 9 Zimbabwe
Q2 SPAR Proteas 38 – 17 Zimbabwe
Q3 SPAR Proteas 55 – 28 Zimbabwe
Q4 SPAR Proteas 72 – 37 Zimbabwe
The last match of the match saw Scottish Thistles take on President’s XII, both teams came here to compete and kept the score line as tight as one point throughout the game. It was only in the third quarter that the President’s XII extended their lead by three points. It was the President’ XII that won the match 49 – 48.
Teams will get a daybreak and all netball action will resume on Friday when Scotland takes on Zimbabwe and SPAR Proteas will face President’s XII.
