Big guns stretch the gap as Winelands struggle at netball champs

Gauteng teams continued to stretch the gap at the top of the round robin table on Wednesday, as title holders Cape Winelands were left struggling in defence of their crown at the Spar National Netball Championships in Potchefstroom.

Tshwane remained unbeaten after three days of competition, racing to a convincing 45-20 victory over fellow former champions Mangaung before thumping Buffalo City 50-21.

Johannesburg defeated Winelands 38-31 for their fourth win from five games, settling in second place on the log with eight points, just two points behind favourites Tshwane.

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In a tight battle for the semifinals, Nelson Mandela Bay, Mangaung and hosts Dr Kenneth Kaunda were level on four points, separated only by goal difference.

Winelands, meanwhile, were left second from bottom with just two points after securing one victory from five matches.

They put up a fight against Johannesburg on Wednesday but lost touch with their opponents in the last two quarters, and they were later outplayed in a 44-28 defeat to Dr KK.

Though it was technically possible to reach the playoffs, the defending champions would need to produce a stunning performance in their final round robin clash today to keep their title hopes alive.

After lifting the trophy last year in the absence of some of the country’s best teams, Winelands coach Nicoline Martin said there were positives they could take from the struggles they had faced this week.

“We’ve seen a lot of growth in our side. We have a lot of young players in the team who have not played at this level before,” Martin said.

“The young ones are stepping up, so I’m happy about that. The future Looks bright for us, and if that means we must build with this team and grow with them, I’m happy with that.”

Buffalo City remained stuck to the bottom of the log after losing five games on the trot.

Despite being docked six points from their games because they failed to achieve racial targets, Buffalo City had made a late request to be bumped up to the A-division on the eve of the tournament, and they were likely regretting their ambitious decision.