Baobabs set to net victory for Limpopo
The provincial netball team, known as the Baobabs, got a warm send-off from the department of sport, arts and culture prior to the second Brutal Fruit Netball Premier League games that will be played at the University of Pretoria from May 8 to June 7.
POLOKWANE – The provincial netball team, known as the Baobabs, got a warm send-off from the department of sport, arts and culture prior to the second Brutal Fruit Netball Premier League games that will be played at the University of Pretoria from May 8 to June 7.
The send-off ceremony took place at the Polokwane Royal Hotel on Tuesday morning and it was honoured by Netball South Africa president, Mimi Mthethwa.
The Baobabs team consists of 15 talented players who have been playing professional netball for some time now. Some of these players formed part of the national netball team that represented the country in various tournaments around the world such as the Zone 6 games among others.
Cecilia Molekwane, team head coach, said the team was well balanced and ready to compete against other teams. “All the players are committed and keen to represent the province. I have a headache choosing the first starting seven because all of them are professionals and talented,” said Molekwane.
The Baobabs will play the first match against the Sunbirds and the second game will be against Kingdom Stars. Molekwane said Kingdom Stars defeated the Baobabs in the last quarter of the league, but they were ready to prove them wrong this year.
Anna Ledwaba, team manager, together with Evah Ramashala, the team’s physiotherapist, will lead the Baobabs from the sideline throughout the league. Hilda Muliwa, the team captain, thanked the department for its support and assured the officials that the team would come home with a medal.
Mthethwa said she attended the final selections of the Baobabs and realised there was a lot of talent in the province. She urged players to listen to their coaches and represent the province well.
Veronica Choshane, sports and recreation general manager, said the Baobabs team was made up of players from all the five districts and also explained that all the players were spotted during the club development programme that was sponsored by the department.
“We have budgeted R4,6 million to support all the sporting codes in the province. The Limpopo Sports Academy also plays an important role in preparing the provincial teams,” said Choshane.
She further wished the team the best of luck with the league games and said they were behind them all the way.
