Mangaung bring Tshwane down
Tournament wide open as favourites lose
Mangaung Metro threw the SPAR national netball championships wide open on Wednesday with a comprehensive 46-35 win over tournament favourites Tshwane at Young Park in Port Elizabeth.
The Free State team got off to a flying start and were 14-4 ahead after the first quarter.
Tshwane fought back in the second quarter, which they won by 11 goals to seven, but the damage had been done and they were unable to catch up.
Mangaung led 33-23 after the third quarter and although Tshwane lost the final quarter by just one goal (13-12), it was too little too late.
Mangaung goalkeeper and goal attack Ane Retief and Tanya Mostert did an outstanding job in keeping Tshwane goal shooter Ina-Mari Venter on the back foot.
Venter was obviously rattled and struggled to get the ball in the net.
“We were very disappointed when we lost to Dr Kenneth Kaunda yesterday,” Mangaung coach Burta de Kock said.
“But the players picked themselves up after that, stuck to the game plan, and it worked,” she said.
“[Now] we have to focus on the remaining games.”
Rueful Tshwane coach Jenny van Dyk said: “We didn’t see it coming.
“Mangaung came out all guns blazing and played extremely well. The damage was done in the first quarter.
“We may have been complacent after some big victories, but I should have planned better for this match.”
Tshwane’s defeat was good news for rivals Dr Kenneth Kaunda (Potchefstroom) and Cape Winelands, who are still unbeaten. Cape Winelands had a hard-fought victory over neighbours Cape Town, winning 47-42.
They had a runaway 90-2 victory over Bojanala (Rustenburg) in their early match.
Dr Kenneth Kaunda overwhelmed Sarah Baartman (Southeastern Cape) 109-7 and Nkangala 86-14.
Kenneth Kaunda coach Elsje Jordaan said: “This opens up the tournament. Anything can happen now.”
In other matches played on Wednesday, Tshwane beat Nkangala 91-16, Cape Town beat Gert Sibande (Ermelo) 7333, and Nelson Mandela Bay beat Bojanala 52-35.
Gert Sibande registered their first points, beating Ehlanzeni (Nelspruit) 56-27.
Ehlanzeni and Sarah Baartman have not won any matches so far. –