Mangaung and Dr KK remain unbeaten at netball champs
Mangaung, who were hoping to go one better after losing out in last year's final, continued to build on their fine form.
Tshina Mdau of Tshwane (l) and Didintle Keebine of Dr Kenneth Kaunda compete during day 3 of the SPAR National Netball Championships at the University of Johannesburg on August 07, 2019 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Reg Caldecott/Gallo Images)
Cementing themselves among the favourites for the SA title, the Mangaung and Dr Kenneth Kaunda (Dr KK) district teams continued their march to the finals on Wednesday, notching up two more victories each to extend their unbeaten runs on day three of the Spar National Netball Championships at the University of Johannesburg.
Mangaung, who were hoping to go one better after losing out in last year’s final, continued to build on their fine form.
They romped to a convincing 60-35 victory over Nelson Mandela Bay before racing to a 59-26 demolition of Cape Town, racking up their sixth straight win to remain top of the A-section standings.
Meanwhile, the Dr KK side from North West handed defending champions Tshwane a 46-39 defeat, with the Gauteng side slipping further down the table after they had lost to Mangaung the day before.
Coach Elsje Jordaan was pleased with the performance of her Dr KK team, as they too retained their unbeaten run.
They trailed Mangaung by two points, though they held a game in hand, keeping pressure on the log leaders in the build-up to the playoffs.
“I knew Tshwane would come out hard and physical,” Jordaan said.
“At half-time I told my players to slow things down. They did this and it worked.”
Tshwane coach Sone Mokken admitted she was disappointed with the result, though her side continued to hang on in third position overall after bagging four wins from six matches.
“We’re having trouble with our attack and we will have to work on that,” Mokken said. In their later match, Dr KK made short work of Buffalo City, sweeping them aside with a 62-35 victory.
Earlier, Cape Town beat Johannesburg 43-39 to settle in fourth place in the standings, holding a match in hand over most of their opponents.
“I have to take responsibility,” said Johannesburg coach Marguerite Rootman, as her team struggled to put up a fight in the top-flight division.
“I was trying to give my bench players a run and it didn’t work.”
In other A-section matches played on day three of the annual tournament, Ethekwini beat Ekurhuleni 47-39 and Nelson Mandela Bay secured a 51-33 win over Ekurhuleni.
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