Scenes of jubilation erupted on Bredasdorp Primary School’s main netball court where the senior girls team of Nomzamo High School clinched the Ubuntu section title at the Western Cape DStv Schools Netball Challenge tournament on Saturday.
Athi Dlakana, coach of Nomzamo High School under-19 team now believes her side can go all the way to winning the national title after her side beat Kayamandi of Stellenbosch 18-17 in a closely-contested final to book their spot in next month’s national tournament.
The tournament, which has become one of the highlights on the national girl sports calendar, is a partnership between Multichoice, the South African Schools Netball, and the Department of Basic Education in a bid to provide a stage for players from both urban and rural areas to experience and participate in a leading women's sport event.
While Nomzamo High lost two games against Tygerberg and Botho winner Paarl Gim respectively, they went on to beat Weston from Vredenburg and Manzomthombo from Mfuleni to book their place in the national finals, which are set to take place at the Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen in Boksburg from 25 - 26 July in Gauteng.
“As we have shown today, we can compete with the top schools, but we lack the depth which we will be working on. So, that is why I’m saying we are aiming to go all the way.
"We narrowly went down to Tygerberg, a well-established side, which proves that we have the potential to go all the way at the national tournament. Against Paarl Gymnasium, they were simply just too good for us and worthy winners I must just add.
“I’m very proud of our team’s dedication and the character they have shown. Going to the national tournament marks a proud moment for the school and the community it serves,” said Dlakana,
Dlakana, who is also a natural science teacher at the school, says while hard work lies ahead for her team to succeed at the national tournament she values her player’s commitment to their academic excellence as well.