Netball team guns for Nations Cup bronze
Thato Kala | Friday December 12, 2014 13:17
Botswana needs an outright win to set up a third and fourth place playoff that could see them bring home a bronze from their second appearance at the tournament.
However, should Singapore lose to Malaysia, there will be a tie in points which would mean goal aggregate will be used to determine who plays for first and second places and then third and fourth places. Botswana got back on track on day four when they beat Malaysia 51-36, their second win of the tournament.
They have played four games and lost 49-34 to Samoa and the hosts Singapore (46-41). Their other win was in their opening game against Ireland last Sunday. Wednesday’s clash against Malaysia was the first meeting of these two sides in this competition and, according to reports, both teams played a very physical style of game and it made for some entertaining end-to-end play with the score tied at 12 point each after the opening quarter.
Botswana pulled in front in the second period, with fast and accurate feeds into their shooter Hilda Binang who had been outstanding all week. They had opened up a four-point gap by the half and then extended that to 14 points by the end of the third quarter as Malaysia seemed to lose their focus and Botswana worked tirelessly to maintain their pace of play.
It was a closer affair again in the final period (10-9) and Botswana got their second win of the competition with a 51-36 victory.
Binang, who had a stint in Singapore earlier this year, is convinced they can beat PNG today.
“We play PNG on Friday and we really believe we can win that one,” she said. The last time Botswana was at the Nations Cup was in 2008 and they finished second. This time they took a younger squad in preparation for a 2017 competition and the Botswana Netball Association (BONA) will likely be happy with a bronze medal. PNG are also coming from a 56-35 hard fought win over Ireland. Their captain, Winnie Mavara hopes they will keep the same momentum against Botswana.
“We made less basic errors and were more consistent. We must keep the momentum going for Friday’s game,” she said.
PNG lost their first three games to Singapore, Samoa and Malaysia and today’s match will not have much significance for them except to finish fifth. They are ranked 17th in the world at the moment, one place shy of Botswana’s current rating. But they go into today’s match buoyed by their 2008 triumph when they lifted the Nations Cup. PNG have made more appearances in the tournament than any other country, save for the hosts. They have played at the Nations Cup five times, collecting a gold, silver and bronze medal.