Baobabs at bottom of log
HAVING started their Brutal Fruit Premier Netball League campaign on a good note, the Limpopo netball team, Baobabs, faltered and finished at the bottom of the log.
LIMPOPO – HAVING started their Brutal Fruit Premier Netball League campaign on a good note, the Limpopo netball team, Baobabs, faltered and finished at the bottom of the log.
Baobabs finished with two points after playing six matches and only winning one.
It was the Eastern Aloes who hammered the final nail in the Baobabs’ coffin with a 56-25 demolition in their last match recently.
Even though they have the tallest player in the competition, they have a mediocre 226 scoring rate.
The question is: where was the towering Rahab “Raba” Ngobeni (28), the 2,1m tall goal shooter/attacker, who was mandated with a crucial task of tormenting the opposition goalkeepers?
Ngobeni, who also plays for Mokopane-based Thunder Girls, powered the Baobabs with a player-of-the-match performance to a slender 46-42 victory against Sunbirds.
Asked why the team could not register a heap of goals, head coach, Cecelia Molokwane cited clumsiness among those who operated at the center of the court at crucial moments.
Molokwane went on to bemoan the lack “of combination to feed Raba with balls to score goals”.
In Molokwane, the team is blessed with a tried and tested mentor with international experience, having been part of the national set-up, the Spar-sponsored Proteas.
An erstwhile national selector and assistant coach, Molokwane, who stands at 1.79m, was instrumental during the Tri-Nations Tournament and the Confederation of Southern African Netball Association Games in recent years.
The Baobabs had one of the most influential players in the league in Hilda Mulwa (27), a wing defender who has been a vital cog around with the team machine rotates.
Despite having an intelligent head on her shoulders, dazzling footwork and impressive aerial distribution, the team remained far from stability with fellow wing defender, Nonthando Sibanyoni.
“This league is a demanding affair and each game is treated with a different game plan. That is why the team changed regularly,” Molokwane said.
Furthermore, with a porous defense of goalkeepers Nsuku Ntimane and Rosina Nkoana and goal defenders Christina Mafomme and Nompumelelo Matekula, the team conceded 261 goals.
Captain to steer team to glory
