Despite losing all four opening matches at the ongoing Spar Challenge Tri-Nations Series, captain of Namibia’s Debmarine Desert Jewels Toetsie Kambatuku says there is still room for improvement and that they will bounce back.

Namibia’s senior netball side, Desert Jewels, lost all four opening encounters at the 2021 Spar Challenge Tri-Nations Series underway in Cape Town, South Africa, losing their first match 58-30 against host South Africa’s Spar Proteas last Thursday and then went down 49-28 against the She Cranes of Uganda on Friday.

In their third clash at the tourney, which was on Saturday, the Namibians again faced the Spar Proteas and suffered a 66-31 defeat. Yesterday, for their fourth encounter at the ongoing tri-nations series, the Desert Jewels faced another stern test against Uganda as they went down 59-30.

Today, the Desert Jewels will again take to the court confront the She Cranes of Uganda and they are striving to bounce back with a possible victory, which could resuscitate their campaign at the ongoing competition. 

During yesterday’s post-match interview, Kambatuku, reflecting on yesterday’s defeat, said they had a great run in the first quarter of the match but failed to maintain the lead. She added that although they lost the match, there is still room for improvement and they can bounce back.

“We had a brilliant first quarter; we were up by five at one moment – but again, it’s all about the consistency if you have that lead. It’s something that we can learn and work on, and I still feel there is room for improvement and I hope tomorrow (today) we are not just going to give them one quarter but give them four quarters of hard work,” she said.

Meanwhile, Debmarine Desert Jewels assistance coach Antoinette Wentworth shared the same sentiments, saying the team had done well in the first section of the game but could not maintain the lead. 

“I feel we executed the game plan in the first quarter – and in the second and third quarters, we took a dip; the girls continued to pick themselves up but the execution of the plan wasn’t all the time on point,” said Wentworth. 

The Debmarine Desert Jewels still have three games remaining to play before the tournament ends, with today’s match against Uganda’s She Cranes and then tomorrow against the dominant Spar Proteas and closing off with a tie against the Presidential XII on Wednesday, 31 March.

- mkambukwe@nepc.com.na