BY MAGRETH RUZVIDZO The Zimbabwe senior netball team, the Gems, moved one step closer to realizing their dream of qualifying to the World Cup after trouncing Namibia 45-41 in Pretoria, South Africa.
They followed up their 49-41 win over Botswana on Monday in their opening match with a hard-fought victory over a battling Namibian side.
The Gems had to fend off a spirited fight back by Namibia in the last quarter but the healthy advantage built over the preceding three quarters was enough cushion.
The first quarter ended with the Gems leading 12-8 and the team continued to build the momentum heading to halftime with 23-14 advantage.
Zimbabwe suffered a big blow with an injury to goal shooter Sharon Bwanali who herself had replaced the limping Joice Takaidza.
Takaidza was recalled but could not last the distance and Ursula Ndlovu was deployed in her place.
At the end of the third quarter Zimbabwe were in front 36-24 before Namibia threatened to turn the game on its head in the fourth quarter as they fought back to ensure a nervy finish for the Gems.
Once again, the Gems goal-attack Tafadzwa Matura was named the Player Of The Match as she finished with a perfect shooting record.
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Assistant coach Tatenda Shinya was delighted with the win.
“We are happy with the victory; all we wanted today was a victory because this game was crucial for us. We have beaten them both mentally and physically. They (Namibia) tried to employ some dirty tricks, especially in the last quarter and they were being too physical on us. We just told our girls to stick to our game plan and not retaliate. But we are happy, there is no bad win,” said Shinya.
Shinya was optimistic that the injured players can return for the Tanzania clash on at 2pm today.
“We are still waiting for confirmation from the medical side, but I am sure the players are not that badly injured. But we are also hoping that we are going to come back stronger come the next game tomorrow (today),” he said.
- Follow Magreth on Twitter @MagrethRuzvidzo
