Hosts Johannesburg held their nerve to defeat Mangaung 53-52 in a gripping final of the SPAR National Netball Championships hosted by the City of Johannesburg on Saturday to claim a third straight title.
Having lost to the Free State team during the round-robin stage earlier in the week, Johannesburg made sure to avoid the same mistakes at the start of the match. While they briefly dropped behind in the opening quarter, the home side ensured they were all square by the first break which was reached with the score on 14-14.
It was in the final four minutes of the second quarter that the Johannesburg team started to edge ahead, thanks largely to a better shooting percentage. With just three goals in it at half-time (29-26) there was all the play for in the second half.
Johannesburg managed to capitalise on the mistakes creeping into Mangaung’s play and by the end of the third period, they had opened the gap to six goals (44-38).
With victory within their grasp, it was Johannesburg who started committing the errors, however, allowing Mangaung to launch a massive fightback in the final seven minutes of the match. With the hosts looking rattled, Mangaung closed the gap at speed, but in the end fell heartbreakingly short, eventually losing by just one goal.
The loss denied Mangaung a hat-trick of their own after winning the Telkom Netball League and Varsity Netball titles this year.
Speaking after the match, Johannesburg coach Dr Elsjé Jordaan admitted: “That was very rough. I thought we had done enough but Mangaung produced an incredible fightback so well done to them. We nearly lost it for ourselves but in the end, I think we absorbed the pressure well and I’m very grateful that we could pull through.
“It means a lot – to win this competition that I played in myself three times in a row is something special. It’s been a really tough week with the heat and to manage these girls and then to put up a fight like that, I’m very proud.”
Captain Didintle Keebine added: “I feel very overwhelmed but most importantly so proud of my team. This really meant a lot.”
“This week was massive. Each and every player has grown, taking the hits, standing strong, not standing back for anyone, taking your ground – putting your put on the ground and saying: ‘I want this.’ And we did it.”
While her players were in tears after the match, Mangaung coach Martha Mosoahle-Samm remained pragmatic, expressing her pride in the squad who played the whole week with 10 rather than 12 players because of late withdrawals.
“It could have gone either way,” she said. “I think we just ran out of time. If there was still a minute or two, I think the result could have been different, but this is a final. You win it by one or lose it by one.
“I’m super-proud of the girls. I take nothing away from them, they were brilliant this entire week… It is what it is. Silver again this year, I’ll settle for it.”
Earlier in the day, the Dr Kenneth Kaunda team from North-West got the better of Cape Winelands, beating them 33-30 to secure third place.
In the under-21 tournament, Johannesburg dethroned defending champions Tshwane with a commanding 42-32 victory. That completed a massive turnaround after the Johannesburg under-21 team failed to win any of their matches at last year’s SPAR National Netball Championships. This year the side was coached by the recently retired former SPAR Proteas captain, Bongi Msomi, who said afterwards: “From no win to a gold medal, that’s incredible and I’m so excited for them.
“When I was a player, I wanted to coach… Today this is just special. I think it’s more special because this shows the development of netball, not just for [Johannesburg] but in the country which is something I’m passionate about.”
Senior A section final Johannesburg v Mangaung
Q1: 14-14
Q2: 29-26 (15-12)
Q3: 44-38 (15-12)
Q3: 53-52 (9-14)
Under-21 final: Johannesburg U21 v Tshwane U21
Q1: 9-5
Q2: 19-16 (10-11)
Q3: 32-24 (13-8)
Q4: 42-32 (10-8)