Cape Town Beat Tshwane To Clinch SPAR National Netball Championships Title 

​

Cape Town – Home side Cape Town erased the heartbreak of last year’s one-goal defeat by edging Tshwane by the same margin to claim the SPAR National Netball Championships title with a 56-55 victory at Stellenberg High School on Tuesday.

Just like Tshwane’s semi-final against Johannesburg on Monday, the final was a closely fought affair from the start. Cape Town took a one-goal lead into the first break, 13-12 ahead.

But every time the hosts managed to pull ahead, Tshwane hit back, never allowing them to move more than a couple of goals in front.

With both sides guilty of unforced errors and soft turnovers, neither could establish any real dominance, and the Pretoria side moved one goal ahead by half-time.

Tshwane kept their noses in front for much of the third quarter, as a solid defensive effort caused Cape Town to squander several opportunities to close the gap.

But the hosts finally drew level at 38-all before pulling ahead to take a 40-39 lead into the fourth quarter.

A nerve-wracking final 15 minutes followed with Cape Town just managing to keep their noses in front.

With Tshwane on level terms at 55-55, the Cape side had under 20 seconds to score from their centre pass.

They held their nerve with the always-smiling former SPAR Proteas player Sigi Burger sinking the final goal to hand her side a thrilling victory.

“Obviously there’s a lot of pressure on your hands,” said an elated Burger afterwards.

“But the beauty of being slightly older and more mature is it’s about being able to handle those big moments… and knowing it’s just another shot,” said the 30-year-old.

Former SPAR Proteas defender and assistant coach of the Cape Town side, Phumza Maweni, was a player in the Western Cape side that last won the tournament in its different format in 2016.

“It was hard on the bench… but I trusted the girls,” she said.

“I think the girls took the information and delivered exactly what we wanted them to deliver… It was good for us to win a final for our crowd.

“We’ve waited too long, and I’m sure our community is very happy with this.”  

Head coach Freda Kemp added: “We lost the final by one [goal] last year and as they say, the table has been set for us – it’s hometown, home crowd and we really worked hard making sure the players had everything they needed to perform on the highest level so I’m very proud of what they did today.”

Having gone unbeaten to finish top of the log before dethroning four-time defending champions Johannesburg in the semi-finals, Tshwane coach Rozanne Matthyse was delighted with her team’s remarkable progress after they failed to even reach the semi-finals last year.

“The progression that we made in such a short time… I’m very proud. It’s for me 10 steps forward,” she said.

“So, I’m looking forward to what’s coming with such a young team, only having three that’s over 30; the rest are all under 25, so we still have a lot to be grateful for… Although we lost, I’m proud of what they produced today.”  

The bronze medal in the senior A section was also decided by one goal, with Mangaung defeating Johannesburg 45-44 in their playoff match.

Meanwhile, having cruised through the week unbeaten in the under-21 A section, Johannesburg continued their sensational form to claim a comfortable 52-38 victory over neighbours Tshwane in the final.

They were already 27-20 up by half-time and doubled that lead to 14 goals by the final whistle.

That saw coach Bongi Msomi’s team lift the trophy for a third consecutive year.

Speaking about her journey with the team, which she took over in 2024 after they hadn’t won a match the previous year, the former SPAR Proteas captain reflected: “The first year we got gold, I really didn’t expect it, but it made us realise that we are on the right path.

“Then coming into the second year was slightly easier.

“I think this year, if I can put it out there, it was quite tough, because you know you’re coming back a second time as a champion; everyone is going to come for you.

“But I’m incredibly proud of the girls and how they’ve received me, firstly myself as a leader, but as a coach as well.

“So, it’s all their work. You can be good as a coach, but if the players are not receiving it well, results are not going to come… And we’ve been the lucky ones to receive a group that just clicks and wants to go.”

Mangaung defeated Royal Bafokeng 49-40 to claim the bronze medal in the under-21 tournament.

Ends.

Results

Senior A section

Final: Cape Town 56 – 55 Tshwane

3^rd place playoff: Mangaung 45 – 44 Johannesburg

Best shooter: Ine-Mari Venter (Tshwane)

Best mid-court player: Sanelisiwe Ntobela (Johannesburg)

Best defender: Asemahle Dyidi (Cape Town)

Player of the tournament: Luca Keun (Tshwane)

Under-21 A section

Final: Johannesburg 52 – 38 Tshwane

3^rd place playoff: Mangaung 49 – 40 Royal Bafokeng

Best shooter: Shilo Baradelli (Johannesburg)

Best mid-court player: Naledi Mokoa (Tshwane)

Best defender: Kimberley Amiras (Tshwane)

Player of the tournament: Boitumelo Mokoena (Johannesburg)

SPAR International Netball Championships Google Information Hub Link: https://shorturl.at/zCstu

The post Cape Town Beat Tshwane To Clinch SPAR National Netball Championships Title appeared first on The Bulrushes.