Kicking off the second year, host school Empangeni High School hoisted the trophy for the KZN North Coast Regional in the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Fast 5s Netball Challenge on Saturday 30 July.
They met Umcabango High School in the regional final. In the 16 minutes of play, Empangeni managed to net 14 goals to the visitors 9. Empangeni’s total commitment and discipline of the team at the end pulled them through to the finals.
Magda du Plessis, coach for Empangeni High School stated after the final, “It went very well today, but it was really tough. We are extremely grateful for the wins. The team worked extremely hard, we really put a lot of effort in using the whole of the holidays to practice non-stop. The girls had a fantastic team spirit throughout the day and gelled perfectly.”
Captain for the winning team, Lukhona Ndlovana said, “The tournament was great overall. It was a bit challenging playing different schools with different techniques, but we adjusted well each game and pulled through. We are absolutely delighted with our win.”
Four young ladies had a magnificent time on either pole end, with captain, Ndlovana having the magic touch and scoring 9 goals and Sinqobile Mthethwa scoring 5 goals for Empangeni and Andiswa Langa scored 7 of her teams 9, and Elena Mthembu scored 2 goals.
At half time, the game was leaning more towards eventual winners, Empangeni as they led 7 points to 5.
The competition amongst the top four teams was riveting, with no clear-cut winner in the two semi-finals. Leading up to the regional final, both teams narrowly won their semi by only one goal. Empangeni High took on Eshowe High School where the scoreline was 9-8 to the hosts, and Umcabango went up 13-12 against Khombindlela High School.
There were some tightly contested pool games, with Pool A ending with Khombindlela High on top with 15 points. In their five pool games, they scored 63 goals and only allowed 29 in on the other side. They were followed by Empangeni in second on 12 points. Their tally of goals was an impressive 67 goals in their five games, with their opponents managing to score 29 goals against Empangeni.
In Pool B, the two top teams, Eshowe High and Umcabango drew on 13 points each, and tied their game against each other on 8 goals each. Umcabango High School took first place as they managed to clock up 53 goals to Eshowe’s 51 goals throughout the day. Umcabango let in 40 goals while Eshowe High let in 30 goals.
The next challenge heads to Durban North College where teams will meet for the Durban North Regional on Saturday 13 August.
For more info, like the tournament’s Facebook page or follow on Instagram. All the SPAR KZN Fast 5s Netball Challenges will be livestreamed on the SuperSport Schools mobile app or website.
Final Pool Results
Pool A
1 Khombindlela High School; 2 Empangeni High School; 3 Grantleigh College; 4 Dlangezwa High School;
5 Felixton College; 6 Izibuko Secondary School
Pool B
1 Umcabango High School; 2 Eshowe High School; 3 Richem Secondary School; 4 Tholokuhle High School; 5 Hoërskool Richards Baai; 6 Nkombose High School