It is crowded at the top of the log at the end of Day 2 of the 2022 Varsity Netball tournament with only three points separating the top four teams. Tuks, Maties and NWU are all on 10 points with Kovsies on 7.
Last year’s finalists Kovsies and Maties saved the best for last with the team from Stellenbosch scoring a narrow four-point victory over the defending champions. NWU, Tuks and UJ also made sure they get some points on the log.
NWU make it two-out-of-two against UWC
All 12 players in the NWU Eagles squad for the 2022 Varsity Netball tournament got valuable game time in their comprehensive 72-34 victory over UWC.
With the nerves now out of the way, NWU are looking forward to the rest of the competition. For UWC, it was their 14th consecutive loss in Varsity Netball, with their last victory coming in 2019 against TUT. Bragging rights are on offer in tomorrow’s encounter between these two teams.
NWU came out all guns blazing while poor centre passes from UWC limited their efforts to keep up with the score line in the first quarter. The Potchefstroom-based team stretched their lead even further in the second quarter, finishing the first half of the match with a 20-point cushion.
UWC got some momentum going in the third quarter, capitalising on their opponent’s power play (goals scored count 2 points) outscoring NWU in the two-minute period. NWU however held on to their dominance going into the last 15 minutes of the match. Goal shooter Sunel Smit remained clinical in the circle, keeping the scoreboard ticking over for NWU.
Tlotlang Mokomela (NWU): “Playing Varsity Netball was my dream and by the grace of God, I made it. Today the most outstanding thing was playing as a unit and playing as a team, focussing on the instructions the coach gave us and highlighting the strength of each player.”
Quarter scores: 19-5 | 35-15 | 54-25 | 72-34
Match stats: Goal Percentage – NWU 74% UWC 73% |Intercepts – NWU 19 UWC 4 | Penalties – NWU 38 UWC 57
Player of the match: Tlotlang Mokomela (NWU)
Tuks gets one over TUT in the local derby
Tuks brushed aside neighbours TUT 81-26 in their Tshwane Varsity Netball derby.
It was a case of experience trumping inexperience. Tuks have participated in every Varsity Netball tournament since its inception in 2013 and walked away with the title in 2017 and 2019. TUT on the other hand has only participated in four of the nine tournaments to date.
Emily Mathosa’s Red Army put up a great fight in the first five minutes of the match, but the hosts kept their composure and remained calm to have a comfortable lead after the first 15 minutes. Jenny van Dyk’s side made full use of the power play in the second quarter, adding 21 points compared to their opponents’ six.
In the second half of the match, Tuks pulled away even further with goal shooter Alice Kennon (player of the match yesterday against the Madibaz), continuing her excellent form in the circle. Tuks rotated all their players in the last quarter and a sterling performance from Varsity Netball debutant Phophi Nematangari earned her the player of the match award.
Phophi Nematangari (Tuks): “Coming here, we had a game plan and we pushed through, it was an all-around team effort. I was nervous, but I pulled through with the support of my teammates.”
Quarter scores: 20-10 | 41-16 | 64-22 | 81-26
Match stats: Goal Percentage – Tuks 88% TUT 71% |Intercepts – Tuks 16 TUT 8 | Penalties – Tuks 53 TUT 41
Player of the match: Phophi Nematangari (Tuks)
UJ wins the battle of national players with victory over Madibaz
Having lost their opening matches in the 2022 Varsity Netball tournament, UJ and Madibaz took to the court in the quest for the first win with UJ, in the end, prevailing 63-46.
Protea captain Bongi Msomi holds the coaching reigns at UJ while Madibaz coach Lana Krige made 82 international appearances for the national netball team. It is the second year in a row the Johannesburg team beat their opponents from Port Elizabeth.
UJ started the match with rejuvenated energy from their attacking duo of Nonfumdo Mngomezulu and Owethu Ngubane, securing a healthy lead at the end of the first quarter. Madibaz gained form and responded with 11 points in the second quarter, though their efforts were not enough to reduce the deficit.
Madibaz captain Mothira Mohammad lead from the front in the third quarter, not letting her broken nose stop her from converting her goal-shooting chances. It was however UJ’s critical use of the power play that added to their score and secured the vital win.
Owethu Ngubane (UJ): “We talked as a team about what happened yesterday and came today with a fresh start, to follow the game plan throughout. For the next match, we just need to look at being focused and being patient.”
Quarter scores: 15-9 | 29-20 | 49-35 | 63-46
Match stats: Goal Percentage – UJ 91% Madibaz 72% |Intercepts – UJ 11 Madibaz 10 | Penalties – UJ 43 Madibaz 40
Player of the match: Owethu Ngubane (UJ)
Sigh of relief for Maties as they narrowly beat Kovsies
The last fixture of the second round of the 2022 Varsity Netball tournament saw a repeat of 2021 final when Kovsies and Maties took the court for the big clash. And like last year, Maties came away with the first win in the round-robin stage, beating the defending champions 57-53.
It was the 2021 runners-up Maties who set the tone as their pace and perfect execution by captain Sian Moore in the goal circle saw them outplaying Kovsies in the first quarter. Maties stretched their lead to seven points in the second quarter with Kovsies goal shooter Alyssa Trahms failing to convert her chances.
Kovsies dug deep after the halftime break and levelled the scores at one point before Maties regained their lead at the end of the third quarter. The last 15 minutes saw fresh legs for Kovsies who used their power play to great effect in closing the gap to one point with four minutes to go. The Maroon Machine however managed to carve out the win.
Bianca De Wee (Kovsies): “It’s not how we start, it’s how we finish. There are a lot of positives we can take from the match, how we made sure the connection between defence and attack was strong, and how we kept on motivating each other.”
Quarter scores: 15-9 | 28-21 |39-35 | 57-53
Match stats: Goal Percentage – Kovsies 75% Maties 80% |Intercepts – Kovsies 7 Maties 4 | Penalties – Kovsies 61 Maties 56
Player of the match: Bianca De Wee (Kovsies)
VARSITY NETBALL LOG
ROUND 3 – 19 SEPTEMBER – Rembrandt Hall, Tuks
13:00 – TUT vs UWC
15:00 – Madibaz vs NWU
17:00 – UJ vs Kovsies
19:00 – Tuks vs Maties
*All games are broadcast live on SuperSport.
by Lehlogonolo Ditshego
