21 Jun 2018

Team Botswana netball team has been crowned the Confederation of University and Colleges Sports Associations (CUCSA) champions after whipping the defending champions Zimbabwe 61-16 in a highly contested encounter in Gaborone on June 21.

The game started on a high speed with both teams fighting with eagerness to walk away with the gold medal.

The first quarter saw both teams fighting pound for pound with scores but in the last five minutes of the quarter Team Botswana started pouring in goals while denying Zimbabwean girls the chance to score. Goal Defence Katlego Dipatlelelo and Goal Keeper Fatima Dino defended tightly ending with Botswana leading by 17-7.

Team Botswana opened a wider margin in the second quarter scoring 16 goals to only 3 of Zimbabwe. Team Botswana took advantage of the fact that their opponents were short, using high long passes.

The opponents stratergised by using short low passes but Wing Attack Ndwapiwa Dumuwa, Centre Kgomotso Matibini and Wing Defence Letlang Mogotlhwane marked carefully in the mid court the low balls and snatching them to the back.

The third quarter saw Zimbabwe left behind scoring only 1-15 of Botswana. Goal Attacker Maipelo Mosotho worked tirelessly with Goal Shooter Madonna Malikongwa exchanging and utilising every scoring opportunity as they were more focused and were taking time to make the right aiming. Fatima Dino who played Goal Keeper marks carefully and took the balls back denying the opponents the scoring opportunity.

Zimbabwe continued using short low balls, and used tight marking to defend but that did not work as Botswana was full of energy as they tagged together in marking.
The last quarter saw Team Zimbabwe come with more aggression with the hope to come back but that did not work as Botswana girls hardly missed any scoring opportunity and were more focused, ending at Botswana 12-5 of Zimbabwe.

Asked how Team Botswana managed a win, Coach Delroy Ngomaza said his team used zonal marking by closing all the spaces that pushed the opponents to resort to short, low passes, which did not take them anywhere as they only played in the same position.

“We waited for them passing those short low balls for a long time waiting for one good mistake while we closed all gaps and making them to go into our scoring circle denying them chance of taking the ball to their scoring circle,” he added. Ends