JOHANNESBURG - The Dr Kenneth Kaunda senior team are heading to the semi-finals after vanquishing the Ekurhuleni 1 side 58-16 at the SPAR National Netball Challenge at the Zwartkloof Private Game Reserve in Bela-Bela on Thursday morning.
Dr Kenneth Kaunda dominated their opponents from the start and were seemingly determined to keep their reputation of being the only undefeated side in the 2020 Championships.
They cruised through the first quarter, leading 15-5 at its close, mainly due to the help of goal shooter Elmere van der Burg in the shooting circle.
And it was not only Van der Burg’s goals that scuppered the opposition as the goal scorer was aided with aplomb by goal attack Jessica du Plessis, the duo working well together in the first half of the match by ensuring that they produced powerful finishes in the shooting circle and stretching the lead.
The North West-based team's defence unit was also so tight that Ekurhuleni 1 could not put the ball in the net and only managed to score four goals in the second stanza. Compounding their woes, Ekurhuleni 1 went into the first half break with two injuries which no doubt affected their performance.
The Ekurhuleni side only managed to enter double digits on the scoreboard at the beginning of the third stanza. And from there tried unsuccessfully to play catch up, managing to only score two more goals during that period of play as the rest of their attempts were blocked by Dr Kenneth Kaunda’s goal defender and the goalkeeper. The third stanza closed off with Dr Kenneth Kaunda leading by 44-11.
📋 RESULTS | SPAR National Championships
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Ekurhuleni 1 went into the final stanza with a bit of energy and enthusiasm but it was too late to redeem themselves, especially with a goal difference of 33. One positive they can look back on is that they tightened their defence and denied the North West side more possession and goal-scoring opportunities even though their play continued to be laden with multiple errors.
The match concluded with a 42 goal difference between the two sides and leaving Dr Kenneth Kaunda undefeated.
Xilombe Mathye