The North West Flames won a pulsating Telkom Netball League encounter by the barest of margins, securing a 50–49 victory against the Gauteng Golden Fireballs this past week.
Former Potch Gimmies players Sunel Smit and Martiné Jordaan were instrumental in the victory. Smit scored the winning goal from the edge of the circle, while Jordaan kept her composure in defence to lead her team to victory and earn Player of the Match honours.
The Flames took the lead at the end of the first quarter, 15–12, before the Fireballs surged back to level the scores at 24–24. The Flames had an inspiring third quarter as they extended their lead to 38–30 through solid goal shooting by Smit and Kwezi Lubisi.
The Fireballs roared back once again to level the scores at 47–47 with only two minutes of play remaining. The Supershot period (where a goal is worth two points from the edge of the circle) further enhanced the drama as the contest went down to the wire.
The Fireballs’ Tinita van Dyk scored a two-pointer to make it 49–48 in favour of the team in yellow.
The Flames had the final say when Smit launched a two-pointer into the net with 40 seconds to go. Nonsikelelo Mazibuko of the Fireballs attempted the same with 17 seconds remaining, but her shot hit the rim.
Jordaan stated that the Flames are aiming for at least a top-four finish in this year’s Telkom Netball League.
“We are feeling positive and optimistic about our play. We are pushing to make the semi-finals, and after every win it feels like a step closer to our goal,” she said.
Captaincy is something that comes naturally to Jordaan, who has been part of the Flames setup for the past six years.
“It is a great privilege to be captain. I really like structure and organisation, so leadership comes more naturally to me. I look forward to creating a culture for future Flames to excel in.”
The Flames had a good week also beating the Kingdom Stars by 46-41, before losing to the Free State Crinums.
Their next match is against the Southern Stings today (Saturday, May 2) at 19:00.
