Limpopo schools looking to book ticket to DSNC Finals

Hlabi Secondary School will be looking to successfully defend their provincial title when they take onto the court in the Limpopo edition of the DSTV Schools Netball Challenge (DSNC) Provincial finals this weekend. The school from the Sekhukhune district didn’t only represent the province at the nationals in last year’s edition, but they also won the Ubuntu Stream.

Sixteen teams (8 Ubuntu and 8 Botho) will gather at Hoerskool Pietersburg in Polokwane on Saturday to play for the opportunity to represent the province at the 8 – 9 August Nationals in Concordia, Johannesburg.

The DSNC is divided into two streams, Ubuntu (rural and township schools) and Botho (Urban and Model C schools) which allows schools to participate on an equal footing and have a shot at glory.

The schools are divided into four groups of four with each group consisting of two teams from each stream. Schools in each group play each other once before branching off to their respective streams for the quarterfinals where the top finishing Ubuntu school from in a group plays the second finishing Ubuntu school from the next group B. The scenario is the same for the Botho schools.

Limpopo Schools Netball coaching convener, Elmari Craig is excited for the tournament.

“It has been exciting to have a full netball season again after the two Covid years. That was exciting for all the schools to participate again.

"We had a lot of teams participating in the different districts although it is now exam time and we are struggling a bit to get the kids to training practices but we are looking forward to this Saturday so that we can see who’ll be the winners because there’s great excitement for the DStv Schools Challenge. The schools are preparing very well to make sure that they finish in the top 3 of their respective stream in order to go through to the nationals,” she says.

Participating schools

Ubuntu

Hlabi, Hyani Nkuzana High School, Makgofe High School, Hudson Ntsanwisi Secondary, Relebogile High School, Eagles Nest Christian School, Musina Secondary and Mmamokokgolushi Secondary.

Botho

Hoërskool Pieterburg, Hoërskool Nylstroom, Mitchell House, Hoër Skool Merensky, Curro Heuwelkruin, Hoerskool Frikkie Meyer, Hoërskool Ben Viljoen and Hoërskool Ben Voster.