International netball update: Africa Netball Cup – Days 4-6
THE Africa Netball Cup continued over the weekend, with the nine nation, round robin competition providing some massive result over the past three days. With six days now complete, there are just two days remaining in the Cup series with South Africa and Uganda still the teams to beat with a clean bill of results thus far.
Day 7 of Africa Netball Cup action is set to play out from 9am local time, November 15, with the third match of the day the long awaited clash between South Africa and Uganda. Malawi will look to continue its close shadowing of the undefeated nations when they take on Tanzania, with Tanzania also taking on Botswana in the final match of the day. Zimbabwe will look to get its series back on track against the improved Kenya after a slight hiccup over the weekend, while Namibia and Zambia also go head-to-head.
Check out the full Africa Netball Cup fixture HERE.
DAY 4 RESULTS
South Africa (56) def. Malawi (39)
Uganda (81) def. Botswana (29)
Namibia (52) def. Kenya (46)
Zimbabwe (58) def. Tanzania (39)
A huge fourth day of action saw just four results play out, as two of the top teams went head-to-head for the first time. Despite a strong win on Day 3, Kenya was unable to back up to claim another victory with Namibia coming out strong and claiming a six-goal win. That was well and truly the closest clash of the day, with the next closest South Africa’s 17-goal victory over Malawi. Both nations came into the match with perfect records, however the Spar Proteas’ versatile list proved too good throughout the 56-39 result, taking charge during a huge third quarter and not looking back from there. South Africa head coach Dorette Badenhorst explained that despite the eventual scoreline, it was a tough and physical clash.
“It was a tough battle for us out there, both on and off court. Playing Malawi was tough, and I am glad that we managed to take charge during the third quarter, the difference between us and the opponents was that we played the ball and not the man,” Badenhorst said.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe recorded a confidence-boosting win over Tanzania, defeating the unranked nation by 19 goals. The in-form Uganda She-Cranes were just about unstoppable in their fourth match, coming out with a vengeance against Botswana to claim a whopping 55-goal win.
DAY 5 RESULTS
Uganda (74) def. Zimbabwe (47)
South Africa (85) def. Botswana (24)
Malawi (62) def. Kenya (40)
Namibia (40) def. Tanzania (37)
Zimbabwe (54) def. Zambia (53)
The fifth day of results saw some intriguing scorelines, with Uganda and South Africa continuing their dominant runs with huge results, although Zimbabwe’s attack in particular proved more than capable of standing up to Uganda’s defensive effort. The first team to score over 40 goals against the She Cranes, the Zimbabwe Gems brimmed with confidence despite the 27-goal margin. The Proteas were undeniable with another hefty tally, outclassing Botswana by 61 goals to forge the greatest margin of the series thus far. Kenya has shown great improvement over the past two weeks, only going down to Malawi by 22 goals 40-62, while hosts, Namibia registered a close three-goal win over Tanzania. Zimbabwe played out a nailbiting win in their second match of the day, defeating Zambia by a single goal 54-53.
DAY 6 RESULTS
Kenya (48) def. Tanzania (40)
Malawi (53) def. Namibia (44)
Botswana (47) def. Zimbabwe (43)
Uganda (73) def. Kenya (40)
South Africa (76) def. Zambia (33)
Sunday’s matches threw around some fascinating result, with a couple of closer margins than many expected and some upset results. The biggest upset saw the winless Botswana clinch a huge four-goal victory over Zimbabwe, shocking the Gems throughout a tight clash 47-43. Despite a winless Pent Series a few weeks ago, Kenya registered its second victory of the Africa Netball Cup coming away with an eight-goal win over Tanzania, while Namibia tested Malawi the whole way throughout a challenging 53-44 result. While Malawi came out with the win, it was a tough encounter for the sixth-ranked nation. Both Uganda and South Africa continued their dominant runs, both registering tallies in the 70s against Kenya and Zambia, respectively.
READ>>International netball update: Africa Netball Cup // International netball update: Africa Netball Cup to begin
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