A new champion will be crowned at the SPAR National Netball Championships after four-time defending champions Johannesburg were defeated 57-55 by Tshwane in an exhilarating extended extra time semifinal encounter at Stellenberg High School on Monday.
Tshwane, the only unbeaten side in the tournament, will meet hosts Cape Town in the final after they beat Mangaung 68-53 in the other semifinal.
The Tshwane-Johannesburg match was neck and neck throughout with no team gaining a significant lead at any stage. The scores were level on 26-all at halftime, and while Joburg had edged ahead by two goals by the end of the third quarter, the Pretoria side quickly closed the gap in the final period. They then had the chance to seal the win in the final 10 seconds, but a vital intercept from Joburg’s Phila Ntuli on wing defence denied Tshwane the chance to go ahead, sending the match into extra time.
Once again, the teams could not be separated. This time Tinita van Dyk was the hero for Johannesburg, scoring with no time left on the clock to level the scores on 55-all at the end of extra time. That took the game into extended extra time, where the sudden death rule applies – with the first team to go two goals ahead winning the match. Johannesburg headed into the period with the advantage of the first centre pass, but they threw away possession, handing Tshwane the opportunity to take control with the ice-cool Ine-Mari Venter sinking the last two goals to finally hand her side the nail-biting win.
Speaking afterwards about holding her nerve to score the match-winning goals, an exhausted Venter, who played over 50 times for the SPAR Proteas, explained: “Those last moments... I don't think there was anything going through my head, to be honest. I think it was just being clinical when we have the ball in our hands, so we really needed to finish it.”
A hugely relieved Tshwane coach, Rozanne Matthyse, added: “There were a lot of emotions for me in that moment… We came sixth last year, so there was a lot of digging deep and hard work that went into that introspection for me personally as a coach as well.
“I think you learn a lot from those moments, those losing moments. So, for me, it was utter relief that this game was over, first of all, and then so proud that we pulled it through.”
Matthyse also paid tribute to Johannesburg, whom her side had comfortably beaten 53-46 in their round-robin match on Sunday.
“For Johannesburg to come through so hard on us – we didn't expect that. So, I think they also deserve a well done on a great game and giving us a great game…
“That was a brilliant showcase of the talent we have in our country, and just the fight both teams had to win was pretty amazing”.
Cape Town had a much easier time of it in the second semifinal of the afternoon, racing to a 38-24 lead against Mangaung by halftime and continuing to dominate to reach the final whistle 68-53 ahead.
Having defeated the same opposition in their final round-robin match on Monday morning, Cape Town coach Freda Kemp said: “We know they are a very good side and they can play finals, so I said to the girls: ‘It's a clean slate. We need to go from the first whistle and not give them a chance to come back if we're ahead.’ And they did just that, so I’m very proud.”
Speaking about taking on Tshwane in Tuesday’s final, Cape Town player Asemahle Dyidi added: “We are capable of beating them. We did play them and definitely we can do it and also come back with this one. It will be a huge fight but we are prepared for them.”
Meanwhile, in the under-21 A section semifinals, Johannesburg beat Royal Bafokeng 55-33 and Tshwane defeated Mangaung 47-40. That means defending champions Johannesburg will be gunning for a third straight title when they take on Tshwane in Tuesday’s final.
Results
Senior A section
Semi-finals
Tshwane 57 – 55 Johannesburg (extended extra time)
Cape Town 68 – 53 Mangaung
Final round-robin matches
Mangaung 50 – 67 Cape Town
Johannesburg 47 – 38 eThekwini
Dr Kenneth Kaunda 60 – 53 Alfred Nzo
Tshwane 56 – 31 Nelson Mandela Bay
Botswana 43 – 49 Namibia
Under-21 A section
Semi-finals
Johannesburg 55 – 33 Royal Bafokeng
Mangaung 40 – 47 Tshwane
Final round-robin matches
Tshwane 41 – 49 Johannesburg
Dr Kenneth Kaunda 37 – 49 Cape Town
Mangaung 58 – 27 Ekurhuleni