Winelands are national netball champs
Cape Winelands are the 2021 SPAR National Netball Champions.
They beat Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) 66-54 in the final at Hoërskool DF Malan on December 11 to bring the title back to the Cape for the first time since 2016.
Defending champions, Tshwane, who won four years in succession, had to withdraw from the championships at the eleventh hour when members of their team contracted Covid-19.
The lead changed hands several times in the first quarter, as first one side then the other gained ascendancy.
At the end of the quarter, Winelands had a slender 17-16 lead, but they stepped up a gear in the second quarter and pulled away from NMB to lead 34-24 at halftime.
NMB fought back hard in the third quarter, undeterred by the 10-goal margin. Jeanie Steyn, who was named player of the tournament, succeeded with some audacious intercepts and NMB outscored Winelands by 19 goals to 13, reducing the deficit to 47-43.
Winelands stormed back in the final quarter, determined not to lose sight of the title that has eluded them for four years.
Captain Nichole Taljaard was on song, proving she deserved to be named best shooter of the tournament.
Shannon Bartlett moved from centre to wing attack and did a superb job of feeding the ball to her shooting circle.
This time, it was the Cape team that scored 19-11 goals for NMB.
“At last,” said Taljaard, “I am never taking this winner’s medal off. We’ve been in this position a few times this year, and it’s wonderful to win a title at last. We were in the finals of Varsity Netball and of the Telkom Netball League, and it’s better on the winning side.”
In the u-21 final, Dr Kenneth Kaunda beat Tshwane 73-44.
