Unbeaten log leaders Cape Town were made to sweat before booking their place in the senior final of the Spar National Netball Championships with a pulsating 57-51 semifinal victory over Dr Kenneth Kaunda in Ekurhuleni on Friday afternoon.
They will take on Johannesburg in Saturday’s final, after the defending champions survived an even bigger scare, narrowly prevailing 46-45 over Mangaung in the second semifinal at Dr EG Jansen High School.
Dr Kenneth Kaunda and Mangaung only secured their semifinal spots with victories in rain-postponed matches early on Friday, with the extra exertion eventually taking its toll late in the afternoon contests.
Cape Town goal attack Nicholé Breedt said her side’s come-from-behind victory over Mangaung on Thursday had prepared them for the tough semifinal encounter.
“I think we proved yesterday that we can still come back from behind … It’s always going to be a difficult match in the semi-finals. The top four teams are always one or two points apart, and I really think the team we just played against is very strong. They are very well-conditioned and they just give it their all,” she said.
Breedt added that Dr Kenneth Kaunda having to play an extra match on Friday morning may have played into Cape Town’s hands.
“I’m quite happy that they played that match, because I think it took a little bit out of them. I think it made it a little bit easier for us and maybe gave us that little bit extra to just take hold of the game.”
Johannesburg also had to contend without skipper Tinita van Dyk until the third quarter as she was taking her oath as a physiotherapist at the time. Teammate Kekeletso Molotsi admitted that van Dyk’s introduction helped stem the tide after a sluggish start, when they trailed in the first two quarters.
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“Everything from the warm-up was a bit messed up because we didn’t have our captain on our side, so that kind of threw us off and the energy on court was a bit down,” Molotsi said. “We started off looking so defeated, but as we progressed through the game we got ourselves out of that hole and that’s what led to the victory. We had to start that game without Tinita, but she had a huge impact when she came in, flipping everything around because she has that ability to get us out of a hole.”
Coach Elsje Jordaan was proud of her team’s fighting spirit as they continued their quest for a fourth straight title. The match hung in the balance until the closing seconds, when Mangaung had the chance to level the scores and send the semifinal into extra time but did not convert.
“To be 11 goals behind in a semifinal and fight back showed the character in the group,” the former Proteas coach said. “It’s always a good sign if you can play badly in a semi and still win, so we’re looking forward to the final.”
Meanwhile, Johannesburg kept their Under-21 title defence on course by winning their semifinal against 2023 champions Tshwane 46-32 to book a place in Saturday’s final, where they will meet Dr Kenneth Kaunda. The team from North West beat Cape Town 44-39 in their semifinal.
