The North West Flames had to suffer   heartbreak when they lost 49-43 against the Gauteng Jaguars in the Brutal Fruit Netball Premier League final in Bloemfontein last Sunday.

The Jaguars were the better team on the day and, under Shadine van der Merwe’s captaincy and defence smothered any chance that the Flames had to gain momentum in the match.

There were two rays of light for the Flames from the 2017 edition, though, in the form of Renske Stoltz and Romé Dreyer who walked away with two individual awards. Stoltz was proclaimed the best shooter of the tournament for her accuracy and incredible long   distance shooting that was one of the main weapons for the Flames this season.

Stoltz is continually growing her game and this Proteas netball player seems to be getting better each season. Dreyer was also on fire in the middle of the court and took the Centre Court Player of the Tournament award.

Her passing and positioning were top-notch this tournament and big things are expected of this dark-haired talent who was also selected for the Spar Women’s Proteas team at the conclusion of the NPL. Fikile Mkhuzangwe, Renske Stoltz and Sigi Burger are the other Flames players chosen for the SA Proteas training camp from 10 to 20 July this year.