Maurice Kambukwe
Namibia’s senior netball team, the Debmarine Desert Jewels, yesterday dusted themselves off with a hard-fought 38-34 win over Zimbabwe to get their Tri-Nations Cup campaign back on track.
The Desert Jewels, who are competing against Zimbabwe and Malawi in the competition that will run from 12 to 16 June in Blantyre, Malawi, started their campaign on a wobbly note, losing the first two matches.
Namibia’s opening match was against Zimbabwe on Sunday when the Desert Jewels went down 36-48 in a match that saw the Zimbabweans dominating the better part of the match.
Late that day, the Namibians faced Malawi for their second tournament clash, which again saw them succumbing again – this time by 23-60.
The Desert Jewels yesterday took to the court again to face Zimbabwe in another enthralling encounter, and a determined Namibian side put the Zimbabweans to the sword to earn a redemptive victory.
Namibia finished the opening quarter, leading 10-8, and continued with the solid performance that saw them closing off the second quarter with a scoreline of 20-14.
The Desert Jewels increased the tempo in the third quarter, leading 28-24.
The Namibians were unstoppable in the fourth and final quarter, as they strolled to a well-deserved but hard-fought 38-34 win.
Desert Jewel’s head coach Sunette Burden hailed her team’s overall performance and fighting spirit against a very tough opponent, saying going into today’s encounter against Malawi, the plan is to maintain their newfound run.
“It was a difficult match, as one could see that our players played with anxiety and also experienced a bit of fatigue. I’m happy we rectified the mistakes we made on Sunday and managed to grab a win against Zimbabwe today (yesterday).
“We are taking baby steps, but I can say each player was at their best, as they followed the game plan and adapted very well. There was effective communication and teamwork. They understood the game plan and the changes that were made. I would like to believe that it was a psychological win today,” she added.
Action will continue today when the Namibians face hosts Malawi.
The tournament provides much-needed game time for the Namibians and equally serves as an opportunity to prepare for the Commonwealth Games, starting next month in Birmingham, UK, and the 2023 World Cup qualifiers.
– mkambukwe@nepc.com.na