The South African Blackball Championships took place in Carnival City from January 19 to February 1. Heidi van der Nest played in the SAPS Women’s Team from January 19 to January 24. She was awarded Top Provincial Player, and ranked 36th overall.
“The closest I ever came to a win in an overall rank was 16th, and I am a bit disappointed that I didn’t rank higher this year. The competition was very tough. There were a lot of new faces, and everyone was extremely serious about the sport.”
Heidi remains optimistic though, and said all this meant was she needed to put in more effort and hours for next year’s championship, and practise harder to improve. There were 11 teams which competed at the championships comprising of South Africa’s nine provinces, SAPS and SANDF.
Heidi’s next challenge will be to compete in the SAPS leagues, which will begin in March, to qualify for the KwaZulu-Natal SAPS team. If she does, she will participate in the SAPS Nationals, after which she could be selected to represent SAPS at the SA Championships in 2018.
“The sport is growing tremendously, and more people are becoming aware of the game. This year there were 72 blackball tables, and excellent players all over the arena. The level of skills the players showed only motivated me to up my game this year, and I hope to make the Top 10 in next year’s SA Championship,” said Heidi.
She said she was happy with the games she played, because when she wanted to sink a ball she did, and when she wanted to block she did, although her competitors’ sharp skills caused her to lose a few games, but in the end she aimed for the Top Provincial Player award.
She achieved what she wanted to by winning seven out of the 10 final games, where she only needed six wins to gain enough points and win Top Provincial Player. She was happy with bringing home a win, knowing she was up against the best of the best.
Heidi Thanked to her family for their support and motivation, which kept her focused throughout the championships.
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