David vs Goliath in netball championships
Koketso Kgoboge | Thursday November 10, 2016 15:29
TASC and Orapa Wanderers finished first and second in the northern zone respectively, while BDF Cats finished first followed by UB Crystals who have dethroned the championship usual contenders, Notwane, in the southern zone.
Cats were dominant in the south, wrapping up their league campaign in the past weekend in Gaborone with 24 points ahead of Crystals with 16 points and Notwane third with 13 points.
The northern league was the first to finish last month with TASC finishing on top, two points ahead of second placed Wanderers who had 16 points and third placed Botswana Railways finished eight points below Wanderers.
Reaching the finals for the first time after returning in 2012 following almost two decades’ absence in the local netball scene, Wanderers relish their chance at the finals. The team’s assistant coach, Segametsi Segotso said they have a side that is now coming out of the shells after years of development.
“We have been developing these young players since the league stopped in 2012,” she said. “When the league stopped we decided to overhaul the team and we turned to youngsters at primary and secondary school levels for development and we kept them sharp for the league return and it couldn’t have returned at a better time. The girls have grown and they showed maturity in the league.”
She said they have seen their opponents play and they know what to expect. Segotso said they have been preparing well and they cannot wait for D-day. She said the girls are fearless and like every team going into the championships they have their eye on the big prize.
“I have spoken to the girls and they have self-belief. We don’t care who we face. We will respect them for who they are, but not on the court. We are ready for the battle. Going into the final alone is great motivation for the team. “We are a team of young girls and we have got nothing to lose. We are confident we are going to bring a medal back to Orapa. We are establishing ourselves and our aim is to instil fear in our opponents like our football team (Orapa United),” she added.