Mary Maasdorp, who is the Northern Cape Schools netball chairperson, is excited about the schools that will represent the province at the national finals of the DSTV Schools Netball Challenge (DSNC).
Upington saw a total of 14 schools fight over the four available spots to represent the province and Hoërskool Diamantveld, Hoërskool Duineveld, Hoërskool Saul Damon, and Monwabisi High School took those places.
The four schools will be heading to Gauteng for the national finals set for 12-13 July at Hoërskool Florida in Roodepoort.
Monwabisi defeated Damon in the finals of the Ubuntu stream which hosts Duineveld came out victorious over Diamantveld in the Botho division.
The competition is divided into two streams, Botho and Ubuntu, which offer an equal opportunity for schools from both rural and urban areas to get to the top of the competition.
Maasdorp shared her excitement over the four schools that have made it to the next round of the tournament. “I am very excited about the schools especially because the two Ubuntu schools that have qualified are playing in the competition for the first time this year,” she said.
She says she is very happy for them that they have qualified for the nationals. “I know they will improve their skills in the competition. As the province we are very happy with the schools that will represent us, we are confident they will make us proud,” says Maasdorp.
The DSNC has been running for four years and has become a good hunting ground for coaches who are looking to strengthen their teams, and it aims to unearth, nurture, and support the next generation of national netball players.
Maasdorp says she is pleased with how the competition ran over the two days. “It was very good. The organisation of the tournaments was smooth, and the parents were happy about the teams that were playing, and they enjoyed every game. Everything went smoothly. It was two days of fun and joy,” she says.
The tournament is a partnership between MultiChoice and SA Schools Netball (SASN) that offers a platform for players from all schools (urban and rural areas) to get to experience the sport on the same level.