Source:www.guardian.co.tt
The big crowd at the Western Cape Sport School in Kuilsrivier, South Africa, lifted the roof after a magnificent fightback by the sixth ranked South African netball team in the fourth quarter of their Third Test against T&T saw them prevail by 55-47. It was the third straight win for host who had defeated the world eight ranked “Calypso Girls” 57-38 in the first encounter and 60-52 in the second match. The Proteas finally showed resilience, composure and ability under pressure when it counted most, after a pathetic first-half performance so nearly undid all the hard work from the South African victories in the first two tests. They scored 17 goals in the fourth quarter and conceded only five, proving that they can keep cool heads when the going gets tough.
The South Africans trailed by seven goals at the end of the first half (23-30) and didn’t seem capable of pulling back from there.
T&T dominated them in every department. The Caribbean team easily stole the South Africans’ center throws and though the Proteas defenders had bright moments the visitors rarely struggled to get lost balls. The lack of rhythm and accuracy in the first half prompted the coaching staff to make five changes in the second half. All three positions at the back were altered, with Chrisna Bootha taking over as goalshooter, Claudia Basson moving to goal attack and Maryka Holtzhausen going to wing defence. Bootha initially struggled, but her combination with Basson started gelling towards the end of the third quarter and they made inroads into the deficit. By the end of the third quarter they trailed by only three goals, 39-42, and then came their blitzkrieg in the last quarter. They pulled level within three minutes and took the lead for the first time in the 51st minute of the match.
After this they never looked back and forced T&T into errors. This result means that South Africa still hasn’t lost a match this season, after beating Botswana and Singapore last month and winning all three this week’s games against T&T. On the other hand, it was the sixth straight loss for the Janelle Barker-led T&T squad in under two months, after it was also swept by world fourth ranked Jamaica 3-0 in Kingston. The Reggae Girlz won the opening affair 64-36, 46-34 in the second and 56-26, in the third match. All three teams are preparing for the World Netball Championships carded for July 3 -10 in Singapore. In Singapore, the Calypso netballers open against Wales on July 4. They will also meet Commonwealth Games champion New Zealand and Fiji in Pool B.
The Jamaicans has been drawn in Pool C for the early rounds of the tournament alongside host Singapore, South Africa and Botswana. Defending champion Australia was drawn in Pool A with Sri Lanka, Northern Ireland and Samoa with England, Malawi, Barbados and Malaysia in Pool D.