Johannesburg, South Africa: It was a hair-raising day 3 at the Telkom Netball League. The Ellis Park Arena was filled with action and thrill.
The Eastern Cape Comets won their second consecutive game with a 39-48 victory over the Kingdom Queens. Although the match was expected to be challenging, the Comets showed great determination and played exceptionally well. Despite predictions of a closely contested game, the Comets exhibited strength and unity throughout. The strategic moves made by Coach Zandile Njeza and Juanita Steyn on the court proved to be successful for the Comets. Overall, it was an impressive performance by the team.
In the second encounter of the day the Diamonds played against the Sunbirds, who were considered the favourites to win the game. However, the Northern Cape side started strong and outshone until the very end. The final score was a difference of only 2 goals, which is a testament to the Diamonds’ stellar performance. The Northern Cape side can take away many positives from this game.
Game 3 fixtured the Western Cape Southern Stings against the Gauteng Golden Fireballs in a Division A match. For most of the game, the Stings were leading and in control. However, there was a stoppage due to a technicality, which enabled the Fireballs to take advantage of that opportunity. After the stoppage, they worked hard to find solutions and managed to win the game by two goals. It must have been a tough loss for the Stings, as they had been in complete command for most of the match.
Limpopo Baobabs, the new team in the first division, faced off against the Eastern Cape Aloes in what was expected to be a pulsating and close game. However, the Aloes proved to be too strong for Head Coach Emily Mathosa’s side. The first quarter was evenly matched, but the Aloes pulled ahead in the second, third, and fourth quarters. The Baobabs were unable to find solutions to the challenges thrown at them on the court, and the Aloes emerged victorious.
In the final match of the day, the Gauteng Jaguars and Free State Crinums played to a 48-48 draw. Although the Crinums had a dominant performance in both attack and defence for most of the game, the Jaguars never gave up and continued to fight until the end. Coach Rozanne Mathysse made strategic changes, one of them being Kamogelo Maseko moving to GA, which allowed her to add pressure to the Crinums team. Maseko was named player of the match for her outstanding performance, especially as she was up against the solid and consistent performance of Karla Pretorius.
Full Results:
KD Queens 39-48 EC Comets
Sunbirds 47-45 Diamonds
Stings 47-49 Fireballs
Baobabs 50-62 Aloes
Jaguars 48-48 Crinums
Sunday (28 April) Fixtures:
08:00 KD Queens vs Diamonds
10:00 EC Comets vs KD Stars
12:00 Sonoblomo vs Tshukudu
14:00 Lillies vs Sunbirds
16:00 Fireballs vs Crinums
18:00 Stings vs Jaguars
Free to use images on the below link:
Photo Cred: Netball South Africa
