The last round of matches of the second bumper weekend of the 2022 Varsity Netball tournament at the NWU Amphitheatre in Potchefstroom, saw Kovsies get their title defence back on track with a hard-fought victory over Tuks.
Home-team NWU went toe-to-toe with Maties before the Maroon Machine managed to pull out the win.
UJ showed they are still very much on the hunt for a coveted semi-final spot with a thorough beating of TUT.
The Madibaz got their first win of this year’s competition when they scored an easy victory against UWC.
UJ swept past TUT with an emphatic victory
After their narrow defeat yesterday against Maties, UJ dominated TUT, winning their Gauteng derby 77-32. Protea captain Bongi Msomi’s side is now lurking only one point behind Tuks who is in the fourth position on the 2022 Varsity Netball log. It was TUT’s fifth consecutive loss in this year’s competition.
The UJ defenders made things difficult for TUT in the first 15 minutes, with the experienced combination of Tarle Mathe and Boitumelo Mahloko not giving their opponents much breathing space. The Orange Army had a comfortable lead heading into the half-time break.
The second half of the match was more one-way traffic from UJ. TUT did manage to pull back a couple of much-needed goals in the fourth quarter during UJ’s power play, but it was too little, too late.
Tarle Mathe (UJ): “We had a good match, we had a game plan coming here today, with set goals for ourselves. Going forward to Bloemfontein next week, we must just stick to the game plan.”
Quarter scores: 22-6 | 42-10 | 58-19 | 77-32
Match stats: Goal Percentage – UJ 85% TUT 72%| Intercepts – UJ 11 TUT 5 | Penalties – UJ 70 TUT 49
Player of the match: Tarle Mathe (UJ)
Madibaz continue dominance over UWC
Despite only converting around two-thirds of their goal attempts, the Madibaz came out tops 53-38 in a bottom-of-the-table clash against UWC. The Capetonians have never beaten their opponents in Varsity Netball.
Both teams had a fast start to the match but it was not smooth sailing with unforced errors at both ends of the court. The Gqeberha outfit had the advantage in the first two quarters, taking their momentum to half-time.
In the third and fourth quarters, UWC had to play catch-up with the Madibaz continuing to stretch their lead. While Madibaz coach Lana Krige was delighted with the win, for Danlee Mathews and her UWC side it is back to the drawing board.
Lana Krige (Madibaz coach): “We were very excited about our defence clicking today, and then I think we showed a lot more patience in holding on to the ball. We were more clinical with our feeds into the circle, it wasn’t a case of hit and miss.”
Quarter scores: 21-9 | 33-22 | 44-31 | 53-38
Match stats: Goal Percentage – Madibaz 67% UWC 76%| Intercepts – Madibaz 1 UWC 0 | Penalties – Madibaz 39 UWC 59
Player of the match: Kelly du Toit (Madibaz)
Kovsies show Tuks who are still the champions
With home-town advantage looming with action in the 2022 Varsity Netball moving to Bloemfontein next weekend, defending champions Kovsies hit their stride at the right time beating Tuks 58-48. The victory means Kovsies remain in contention for a semi-final spot.
Only a single goal separated the two teams last year (Kovsies 62 Tuks 61) and right off the bat, it was evident that this match could also go down to the wire. Kovsies captain Ané Retief was exceptional, setting the pace for her attacking end and giving her team the upper hand in the first two quarters.
The frustration of Tuks’ coach Jenny van Dyk was evident after half-time, with her players battling the tight defence of the Free Staters, only managing to score five goals in the last 15 minutes of the match. In the end, Kovsies’ clinical play secured them the vital win.
Refiloe Nketsa (Kovsies): “It is a very big win, and it’s a big thing as we were fighting to be in the top 4. We are peaking at the right time (with Kovsies hosting the next bumper weekend) and it’s given us the energy to pull through to next weekend.”
Quarter scores: 13-10 | 26-21 | 44-43 | 58-48
Match stats: Goal Percentage – Kovsies 81% Tuks 83%| Intercepts – Kovsies 12 Tuks 3 | Penalties – Kovsies 46 Tuks 35
Player of the match: Refiloe Nketsa (Kovsies)
Maties remain on top after NWU victory
Maties are still the only unbeaten team in the 2022 Varsity Netball competition after a tough 56-51 victory over NWU. It is the second year in a row the Maroon Machine got the better of the Eagles.
It was a nervous start from Elsunet du Plessis’ side in front of their home crowd at the NWU Amphitheatre, with the NWU shooters taking a few shots before they started to land some goals. The scores were level after the first quarter but Maties secured a five-goal lead going into half-time.
The defensive unit of NWU worked tirelessly to turn the ball in the Maties goal circle, only for their shooters not to use the opportunities to overtake their opponents. The second half of the match saw last year’s runners-up maintain their slight lead right up till the final whistle.
Nicola Smith (Maties): “We knew it was going to be a tough match, but this team has a fighting spirit.”
Quarter scores: 14-14 | 30-25 | 40-35 | 56-51
Match stats: Goal Percentage – Maties 71% NWU 65%| Intercepts – Maties 11 NWU 5 | Penalties – Maties 45 NWU 62
Player of the match: Nicola Smith (Maties)
VARSITY NETBALL LOG
ROUND 6 – 2 OCTOBER – CALLIE HUMAN HALL, UFS, BLOEMFONTEIN
13:00 – Maties vs Madibaz
15:00 – NWU vs Tuks
17:00 – Kovsies vs TUT
19:00 – UJ vs UWC
*All games are broadcast live on SuperSport.
By Jana Schlechter
