Battle for top spot in Netball Cup

They know a win against the second-placed Free State Crinums on Saturday will guarantee them top spot heading into the semi-finals.

With six games played and two to go in the preliminary phase of South Africa’s premier netball showpiece this weekend, the top four teams in both Division 1 and 2 will be desperate for a win as they seek to build up momentum ahead of the semi-finals next weekend.

Jaguars coach Jenny van Dyk said she would not have a problem motivating her troops who are already in the semi-finals.

“My players are hungry for success and they are very excited to be playing at such a high level on such a regular basis,” said Van Dyk.

“Not having the pressure of a must win match though does give me the chance to try different combinations, but it’s important that we go into next week’s semis high on confidence by ending the group stage in first place.”

The Crinums hold the edge on experience with most of the team coming from the Manguang region team that won the National Netball Championships last year.

They boast Proteas captain Maryka Holtzhausen as well as the Proteas defensive pairing of Adele Niemand and Karla Mostert. The Jaguars are solid in defence and attack and boast a 66 goal difference compared to the Bloemfontein outfit’s six.

Third-placed Gauteng Golden Fireballs host the North West Flames. They will be well-aware of the fact that the Flames have lost four of their six games by a single point and they are due some luck.

The Jaguars and Fireballs will square off on Sunday in the second round of the Gauteng derby.

With little hope of making the semi-finals, the bottom of the table Eastern Cape Aloes will seek to go out with a bang this weekend and aim to pick up their first win from their two remaining fixtures.

In Division two, the all-conquering Western Cape Southern Stings have one eye on the semi-finals and another on the promotion/relegation match against the last placed team in Division one.

Unbeaten to date, the Stings will want to complete their final two games against the Northern Cape Diamonds and Limpopo Baobabs this weekend with two wins but will also use the opportunity to give a couple of their back benchers a run.

The Mpumalanga Sunbirds, who face the third-placed Diamonds on Saturday and the second-placed Kingdom Stars on Sunday, go in search of their first point of the competition.

– Sapa