. . . Kwangwa reflects on missed opportunity
NO one appreciates the significance of a better world ranking than Zimbabwe netball team captain Felistus Kwangwa.
One year on since the Gems made an impressive World Cup debut in Liverpool, England, Kwangwa still rues her missed opportunity to move to the United Kingdom’s Vitality Super League.
“It was one of those heartbreaking moments in my life,’’ said Kwangwa.
She was told her move to Surrey Storm could not happen because Zimbabwe was ranked 14th at the time.
The two-time Super League champions were impressed by the goal defender, but league rules prohibit teams from signing foreign players from nations outside the top 12.
And when the message was relayed to Kwangwa, she was disappointed.
“Hi Felistus, unfortunately league rules permit imports from countries in the top 12 only.
“So for this season we wouldn’t be able to have you join us.
“We will monitor you from afar and definitely hope this can happen at some point in the future,” read the message Kwangwa got from a Surrey Storm coach last year.
After missing out on the Surrey jackpot, Zimbabwe’s ranking improved following their World Cup exploits.
The Gems now occupy 12th position on the latest International Netball Federation rankings.
before the global tournament.
Soon it was time to depart for Liverpool, where they had a couple of friendly games and training sessions before the tournament kicked off.
The gaffer recalls these as some of the scariest moments of his career, as then captain, Perpetua Siyachitema, suffered a slight knock on her shoulder.
The former skipper was the most experienced player in the squad and would provide the much-needed midcourt balance.
Much to his relief, her knock did not last long, as the Wing Attacker captained her charges to an impressive 30-score margin victory in their first game against Sri-Lanka, to boost the team’s confidence.
That set the pace for the entire tournament. However, the coach’s highlights of the tournament were yet to
“As a player I can only continue working hard to get better.
“This goes to all the players. How nice would it be to have several Gems in the top leagues,” Kwangwa said.
The Vitality Netball 2020 Super League season has, however, been cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The season was halted in March after commencing on February 22.
Only three full rounds and two matches had been played by then.
“It is my wish to find ourselves in the top eight.
“This will pave way for our players to attract teams from the big leagues.’’
Two Most Valuable Player awards, a tournament high of 44 deflections, sixth overall with 18 interceptions are some of Kwangwa’s colourful defensive statistics from that memorable Netball World Cup.
“It is all about hard work and a lot of determination. Looking back, it was one of the biggest achievements in the history of netball in Zimbabwe.
“It was a dream come true for the Gems, who dreamt of playing at netball’s biggest stage.”
Kwangwa says there is more talent from her province (Matabeleland South) and it is only a matter of time before they can also take centre stage.
“I am an inspiration to many girls, especially from Njube, where I grew up There is .“so much talent in this area, I can tell you, and I urge them to work hard to reach new heights,” said Kwangwa.
come.
The Gems roller coaster match against Northern Ireland saw them come out as two-score victors.
“At some point, I felt the umpires were the eighth player for Northern Ireland, but the Gems remained resilient to win by 2 goals.
“The team put up a fight that even surprised me.
“Another peak moment was when we played the then defending champions, Australia. To play against them has always been my dream.
“They took us as underdogs, gave us a second string team, but come second quarter they had to bring in their best players. We gave them a torrid time, and that marked a job well done for me.
“The World Cup for me was complete, I had done my part,” said the coach.