Madibaz netballers give Tuks a run for their money

The SPAR NMMU Madibaz team gave current USSA champions Tuks a run for their money when they went down fighting in round six of the Varsity Netball tournament at the Vodacom NMMU Indoor Sports Centre in Port Elizabeth on Monday night.

The team from the University of Pretoria claimed a narrow 59-48 victory over the home side, and a bonus point, to remain second in the standings behind defending champs Kovsies.

The PE team slipped one position to fifth overall ahead of the final round-robin fixture next week.

Madibaz head coach and former SPAR Proteas player Dumisani Chauke said that despite the loss the girls had surprised themselves with a memorable performance.

“All we require from the girls is that they bring their best, play to their own and each other’s strengths, and that is what they did.”

Chauke said their goal of proceeding through to the semi-finals had however taken a knock.

“The girls played a fantastic game of netball, showed great character and fought until the very end.

“However, we were two points short of a bonus point and that might haunt us as we did not capitalise on all the shooting opportunities we had in our shooting circle,” she said.

Chauke said the Madibaz had made sure that it wasn’t an easy win for Tuks.

“They forced the visiting team to work harder than they perhaps expected to by fighting right up until the final whistle.”

Hlumisa Sithonga received her third player of the match award, making it six from six games for the Madibaz squad, which Chauke said was a strong indication of the team’s character.

She said they were grateful to everyone who came out to watch their final home game of the season.

“The crowd was awesome and we would like to extend a special thank you to all the schools that brought their netball girls to watch, even from as far as Jeffreys Bay.”

According to Chauke, the team had proved they could hold their own against some of the top universities in the country.

“There is always room for improvement, though, and we strive to keep getting better with every performance.”

She added that although the Madibaz had a tough game coming up against Pukke in Potchefstroom on Monday, anything was possible on game day.

“We would like to finish our season on a high note.”

Maties will take on Pukke in a rematch at the Vodacom NMMU Indoor Sport Centre at 7pm tonight following the postponement of their game in round three.

The Madibaz will be hoping for a Maties win in order to keep their play-off chances alive.

The team from Stellenbosch are third on the log, while their North-West rivals occupy fourth place.