Botswana wallops Barbados

 

Towering shooter Tebogo Radipotsane was the other vital cog in the Africans' win, displaying some elegant shooting skills and an astonishingly long reach. For three-quarters of the game, Radipotsane was shooting 100 percent, and only two missed goals in the chaotic closing spell lost her the perfect match.

But she still managed a very impressive 95 per cent success rate, sinking 34 of her 36 attempts. Barbados started strongly to lead 14-12 at the end of the first quarter, but a strong second spell from Botswana gave them a 23-20 halftime lead and laid the foundation for their upset win. Coach Joseph Makakaba said his team took to the court with some very specific instructions. 'We had to mark their wing attack and goal attack, especially the first because her role was to feed. We planned to attack, to feed our goal, shoot because she can go up and she's very accurate,' he said afterwards.

The win would be huge boost for netball in Botswana, Makakaba said.  'It's our first win at world championship level, so it's a very big day for us. Today by winning, I think the world can see that we deserve to be here.  After this result, our government will see how important it is to promote netball.'  Makakaba said the motivation to secure a top 10 or 12 ranking had played a big part in today's win. 'All the games we've played here we've shown the world we can compete.' Botswana will meet Trinidad and Tobago today, after the Caribbeans accounted for a valiant Singapore 42-32 in today's second game.

Lacking in height but not in skill, the Kate Carpenter-coached Sinapore team battled for the entire game and kept within reach of Trinidad and Tobago to be down by just 18-21 at halftime. But they slipped in the third quarter to trail 33-25 with 15 minutes to go and just couldn't bridge the gap despite a fighting final 15 minutes.
(New Zealand Press Agency)