WP netballers still unbeaten

Durban – Western Cape continued their campaign to retain their title with a comfortable 48-39 win over Free State at the Spar national netball championships at Hoy Park Sports Complex on Wednesday.

They are now the only team in the A-section of the tournament to have won all their matches.

The match was played in gusty windy conditions, and Western Cape coach Annelie Lucas said this meant they had to adapt to the conditions.

“We threw away our game plan and focused on keeping the ball in hand,” she said.

Free State took the early lead and were 12-9 ahead after the first quarter, but by half-time, Western Cape had surged past them and were ahead by 26 points to 22, winning the quarter 15-10.

The other major match of the day, between Gauteng and North West, ended in a nailbiting 34-34 draw.

The lead changed hands several times during the match, with neither side able to dominate.

Gauteng had a narrow 19-18 lead at half-time, but North West redoubled their efforts in the third, to end the quarter 26-25 ahead.

North West coach Dorette Badenhorst, whose team were beaten 43-34 by Western Cape on Tuesday, said she was grateful for the point, although the loss and the draw made their path to the final more difficult.

“It was a great game and both teams played well,” she said.

“I believe we should have made it, but simple mistakes, like stepping, can lose you a game.

“We will have to concentrate on playing clinical netball, knowing when to push and when not to. There is still a lot to play for.”

In the first match of the day, Mpumalanga beat Northern Cape 50-32, and KwaZulu-Natal beat Eastern Cape 45-22.

Western Cape sit pretty at the top of the league standings with eight points from four games, followed by Gauteng with seven. North West have five, KwaZulu-Natal four and Mpumalanga two. Eastern Cape and Northern Cape have yet to trouble the scoreboard.