HIGH OCTANE NETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP BILLED FOR MANGAUNG

AndileZingitwa

OupaKekana

It does not get better than this weekend at Bloemfontein’s Mangaung indoor sports complex, thanks to netball, the biggest women sporting code in Africa and the world at large. That’s according to organizers.

Zanele Mdoda, Proteas Netball vice captain, promised everyone two mouth-watering semi-final encounters that would see the North Gauteng Jaguars pitted against the Western Cape Stings at 4pm, with the second semi-final parading the North West Flames being competitively antagonized by the Gauteng Golden Fireballs on Saturday.

Mdoda said, “We do not expect anything less than a packed to the rafters  Sports Complex. May the best team win and book itself a flight to New-Zealand as a reward.”

Back to the story,the next day, the losers of both semi-finals will be up against each other for the third spot at 10am, while the finalists will be sweating blood for the number one place at 12 noon.

The bride’s maids, as the Jaguars are affectionately known by virtue of successfully reaching the finals three times in succession with only their hopes dealt a blow in the last hurdle have promised to be firing on all cylinders this weekend as their captain fantastic, Shadine van der Merwe pulled no punches about their readiness.

On the other hand, the Southern Stings boast four Proteas in their arsenal which should give them a pedigree of winning the match on paper.

In the second semi-final at 6pm, the Flames will be squaring off with the Fireballs, which marks their first encounter at playoffs.

Kudzi Mathabire, Marketing Manager of Brutal Fruit. congratulated the sponsors  for brutally holding the bull by its horns in ensuring that netball as a sporting code becomes a force to be reckoned with. And revealed that players were also eligible to  benefit from bursaries offered by the sponsors.

She also added that players were being financially taken care of .