Silver lining for Dinaledi

The girls lost their first six matches but managed to salvage some pride in the remaining two, beating Tanzania and Zimbabwe. It was the silver lining at the end of the tournament that will encourage Dinaledi ahead of the 2023 World Cup qualifiers next year.

It could have been a disastrous trip to Namibia where regional powerhouse, South Africa emerged victorious, but the two victories provide a glimmer of hope. Local netball has been inactive for the last three years, which further complicated preparations. Botswana finished eighth out of nine countries. Botswana Netball Association (BONA) spokesperson, Mokeresete Mokeresete admitted it was not an easy road to Namibia. “It was not an easy ride to the championships as we had a long lay off being inactive which led to lack of match fitness, physical fitness and mental strength.