Tshwane retain national netball crown

Despite looking vulnerable heading into the match, Tshwane held their nerve on Saturday to secure a clinical 44-39 victory over Dr Kenneth Kaunda, bagging their third straight title at the Spar National Netball Championships.

Having stumbled in a 38-34 defeat to Dr KK in the round robin stage earlier in the week, the defending champions controlled the title contest from start to finish.

Rain and lightning had threatened to force officials to call off the final, which would have given Dr KK the title based on log positions, but the skies cleared and allowed the match to start, albeit 90 minutes late.

Playing in extreme heat, as they had done all week, Tshwane took the early lead.

Though Dr KK stayed in touch throughout, as they aimed to turn the tables after losing to the same team in last year’s final, Tshwane never looked back.

“While we always play to win, my philosophy as a coach is that winning is never the way we measure our success,” said Tshwane coach Jenny van Dyk.

“We do get the wins but it’s because of the process, the hard work and the standard that we’re pushing that we do get there.

“Especially the standard under pressure. You can do everything well if there’s no pressure on you.”

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