Johannesburg netball team win third straight national title

Hosts Johannesburg held their nerve to defeat Mangaung 53-52 in a gripping final of the Spar National Netball Championships at Ellis Park on Saturday to claim a third straight title.

Having lost to the Free State team during the round-robin stage earlier in the week, Johannesburg managed to hit back with a narrow win.

The loss denied Mangaung a hat-trick of their own after they won the Telkom Netball League and Varsity Netball titles this year.

‘A really tough week’

“That was very rough. I thought we had done enough but Mangaung produced an incredible fightback so well done to them,” said Johannesburg coach Elsje Jordaan.

“We nearly lost it for ourselves but in the end, I think we absorbed the pressure well and I’m very grateful that we could pull through.

“It means a lot – to win this competition that I played in myself three times in a row is something special. It’s been a really tough week with the heat and to manage these girls and then to put up a fight like that, I’m very proud.”

Other results

Earlier in the day, the Dr Kenneth Kaunda team from North West got the better of Cape Winelands, beating them 33-30 to secure third place.

In the final of the U-21 tournament, Johannesburg dethroned defending champions Tshwane with a commanding 42-32 victory.