Cape Winelands delighted after reaching netball playoffs

Holding their nerve to book their place in the playoffs, Cape Winelands head coach Nicolene Martin was delighted with her team’s performances throughout the opening round of the Spar National Netball Championships in Rustenburg.

Defending champions Johannesburg finished top of the log with 13 points on Thursday, while host district Dr Kenneth Kaunda ended second in the opening round with 12 points, and Mangaung were third, a further point behind.

It was the battle for the fourth and final spot in the playoffs, however, that drew the most attention.

ALSO READ: Rise of women in SA sport: ‘Sponsorship, development now key’

Entering the final match of the round robin stage, Tshwane and Winelands were level on seven points, with Tshwane needing Johannesburg to beat Winelands by more than 44 points in order to keep their title hopes alive.

As expected, however, Winelands did not capitulate under pressure. Though they were ultimately handed a 56-50 defeat by the table toppers, they did enough to progress to the knockout stages with a better goal difference than Tshwane.

“At the moment we are where we wanted to be. We knew this would be a big one and it would be high intensity for 60 minutes, but we’re happy to be in the top four,” Martin said after the match.

“We have another tough one tomorrow, so the ladies must have a good night’s rest and do their best again.”

Semifinal battle

Mangaung were set to face Dr KK in Friday’s semifinals, while Cape Winelands were due to face Johannesburg.

With the top three teams dominating the first round, Winelands were entering the playoffs as the underdogs, but Martin believed they could cause an upset in the battle for the national title.

“It will be tough, but if we are consistent and the players defend for 60 minutes and they convert turnovers, I think we will do well,” she said.

“If it’s not the result we want, I will still be very proud of my team because we didn’t really have enough time to prepare for this tournament and I’m happy with their performances.”