Madibaz drop out of title run after loss
MADIBAZ have dropped out of the Varsity Netball tournament title run after a fourth consecutive loss in the competition.
The Port Elizabeth side had a riling 54-29 loss against Maties at the Stellenbosch University’s fields on Monday.
“This was not how we had planned to end off this competition – and it was very disappointing for the team,” captain Nandipha Jack said.
“It is important that we pick ourselves up and focus on our preparations for the upcoming events.”
The hosts opened the scoring early and accelerated in the final parts of the first quarter for a 14-6 lead.
Maties continued to attack in the second quarter and scored first again.
The Stellenbosch side used the power play to force a bigger gap in the scores.
They were leading 20-8 after the twominute power play.
Maties were too strong for Madibaz in attacking and went on a big scoring spree, to go into the break after the second quarter with a massive 30-10 lead.
After some stern words from Madibaz coach Lana Krige, the Nelson Mandela University team narrowed the gap slightly, before calling for the power play.
Both teams then scored twice, but Maties had the vic- tory sealed and netted five more goals before the end of the third quarter, making it 42-21.
The final quarter was a messy affair, with Maties grabbing a bonus point for scoring 50 goals to end the game with a full house of log points – and a third position on the log.
The bonus point win had boosted the confidence of Maties for their match against Pretoria University’s Tuks team.
The Stellenbosch University students slipped 48-46 to Tuks – after a recount of the goals – but will believe they have a good chance of reaching the final for a second time in three years.
In other Varsity Netball tournament encounters, Bloemfontein’s Kovsies fell 48-44 to North-West University (NWU), while Tuks had an emphatic 90-35 victory against the University of the Western Cape.
The University of Johannesburg beat the Vaal University of Technology 57-43.
The semifinals, on October 2, will be Tuks against Maties, in Pretoria, and NWU versus Kovsies, in Bloemfontein.