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    • Proteas dominate Malawi with emphatic victory in first netball test
    patheur

    Proteas dominate Malawi with emphatic victory in first netball test

    Sakege Posted on

    Jenny van Dyk and Khanyisa Chawane kicked off their tenures as new SPAR Proteas head coaches and captains in the best possible way with a 68-31 victory over Malawi as the SPAR Challenge began in Johannesburg on Thursday.

    That saw the home team take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series currently being hosted by the City of Johannesburg and being played at the Ellis Park Arena.

    Van Dyk started Nicholé Breedt (formerly Taljaard) in the wing attack instead of his usual goal-attacking position, with the promising Kamogelo Maseko selected in that position.

    Maseko was outstanding in his 23rd test for the Proteas, displaying remarkable athleticism and combining exceptionally well with eventual MVP Elmeré van der Berg in the shooting circle.

    The first exchanges were goal for goal before Karla Pretorious made the first turnover of the match as the SPAR Proteas began to open a gap on their opponents.

    The first quarter turned out to be the best for the Malawians, who scored 11 goals compared to South Africa’s 16.

    The visitors, who have not played an international match since last year’s Netball World Cup in Cape Town, managed to maintain some of their momentum until half-time, but the Proteas continued to dominate with Nicole Smith in particular making her presence felt as goalkeeper .

    The South Africans had opened the gap to 48-27 at the end of the second quarter.

    Having kept the team unchanged for the first half, Van Dyk moved captain Chawane from the center to the wing attack in place of the struggling Breedt, with Tarle Mathe in the centre.

    Jeanté Strydom was the only other change, at fullback in place of Boitumelo Mahloko.

    The midfield combination proved to be much better with the Proteas stamping their authority in the second half.

    They reached the end of the third quarter with a 48-27 lead and then pulled away in the fourth.

    The Malawians simply lost steam in the final period as the South African defense put them under intense pressure, making it difficult for the visitors to find their way inside the circle and forcing them into mistakes.

    Ané Retief earned her first cap for the Proteas when she came on as goalkeeper with just under 10 minutes left in the match, while Owethu Ngubane came on as shooter five minutes later.

    As the clock ticked down, the home team scored an incredible 14 unanswered goals before Malawi finally found the net for the final score of the match, which ended 68-31.

    ‘GREAT START OF OUR CAMPAIGN’

    “Getting that win was really a great feeling,” an ecstatic Chawane said afterwards. “I’m very proud of the team because it’s our first time out there and having to perform like this is really something very important for us.

    “Obviously we will not always be happy. There are always things to work on, but I’m very happy with the groundwork we’ve done. The team looks very good and I am very proud of each one of them.”

    Coach Van Dyk added: “I think it’s a great start for us. There are many things we still want to work on and many things we know we can fix to be even better. Obviously, we will always want to try our best, but yes, my first limit, I will stick with this one.

    “I think this is a great start to our campaign. “They reacted well and really made us proud tonight.”

    Van der Berg expressed surprise at being named Most Valuable Player, but attributed her progress to playing in the England Netball Super League.

    “On returning from the UK, I fell in love with netball again,” she admitted. “Being able to play for six months in that high-performance setting really helps you develop your game and teaches you to have a temperament for the big games over the weekend. After the weekend you play against very strong defenders and that helps you stay strong.

    Malawi coach Joanna Kachilika said all was not lost with two matches left to play, but her team had lost its way due to the pace of the game.

    “The girls stopped playing according to our strategy. “They lost concentration, they lost concentration, that’s why we lost the game,” he said.

    Series sponsor SPAR confirmed that 3,400 packs of SPAR Petals sanitary pads were donated to the #EndPeriodPoverty campaign led by the Proteas, who scored 68 goals in the inaugural event.

    SPAR has promised 50 packs of SPAR Petals for every goal scored by South Africa throughout the series.

    SA MEN DOWN ZIM

    Meanwhile, in the match played against the backdrop of women’s football, the South African men’s team beat Zimbabwe 51-36.

    They will play two more games two hours before the women’s events.

    SPAR Challenge action continues with the second test between the Proteas and Malawi on Saturday 2 November (5pm) and the third and final test on Sunday 3 November (3pm).

    LOTS:

    SPAR Proteas – Malawi

    Q1: 16-11

    P2: 32-19 (16-8)

    T3: 48-27 (16-8)

    P4: 68-31 (20-4)

    Most Valuable Player: Elmeré van der Berg (RSA)

    South Africa Men vs. Zimbabwe Men

    P1: 12-5

    P2: 29-14 (17-9)

    P3: 40-26 (11-12)

    P4: 51-36 (11-10)

    Sakege
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