Wrong league
Aussies too good for SA netballers
The SPAR netball Proteas stormed out of the blocks in their match against the Australian Diamonds in the opening match of the 2019 SANZEA Quad Series in Liverpool on Sunday.
They were five goals ahead after the first quarter, but Australia ran out 62-45 winners.
The Proteas were in the lead for the first few minutes of the match, but the Diamonds came back hard and took the lead.
In the final minutes of the quarter, the Proteas found their mojo and stormed past the Diamonds. Goal shooter Lenize Potgieter was like a robot, scoring with ease, and at the end of the quarter, the Proteas were 15-10 ahead. The Diamonds were playing without captain Caitlin Bassett, who had injured an arm during training.
Coach Lisa Alexander made a number of changes in the second quarter and the Australians began to settle.
The Proteas maintained their lead for much of the quarter, but the Diamonds swept past them towards the end, and by halftime were leading 27-25, having outscored the Proteas by 17 goals to 10.
The Australians started to show why they have dominated world netball for so many years in the third quarter.
Proteas captain Bongiwe Msomi had to leave the court for several minutes to have a blood injury treated, disturbing the Proteas’ rhythm.
By the end of the quarter, the Diamonds were ahead by 43 goals to 35, having won the quarter by 16 goals to 13.
But it was in the final quarter that the Aussies got away, winning it by 19 goals to seven.
The scoreline does not reflect the determination shown by the South Africans, who scrapped for every ball.
“It was a gutsy win,” Alexander said. “The South Africans were fantastic, particularly in the first half. The Diamonds always manage to come back.”
Proteas coach Norma Plummer said the big question was how to ensure that her team played at the same level for 60 minutes.
South Africa next play England on Saturday and New Zealand on Sunday.