ZIMBABWE netball teams, the Gems and Golden Flyers, are set to participate in the Africa Netball Cup to be held in Lilongwe, Malawi, next month.
Scheduled to run from December 8 to 14, the event will feature 11 African teams, including Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, Namibia and Malawi.
The Gems will seek to improve last year’s performance, which saw the team stun better-ranked Malawi to win bronze.
Moreover, the team’s participation in stronger leagues like the Telkom Netball League in South Africa and friendlies against Kenya in August and Malawi in October could prove advantageous to the ladies during the competition.
Before their Africa Cup appearance, the Gems will feature in the Celtic Cup from November 26 to 30 in Glasgow, Scotland, where the team will compete against elite netball teams such as Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.
The Gems will also get an opportunity to play Uganda and Namibia before they clash on the highest level of continental netball.
The Golden Flyers are aiming to triumph at the Africa Netball Cup after finishing third at last year’s edition of the games behind South Africa and Eswatini.
This year, the men’s team headed to the tournament with a confidence boost following their recent series win during their friendly against Malawi Kings in October and a series tie against Eswatini in September.
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Teams like Zambia, which won the cup in 2023, and Uganda, which won the cup last year by beating South Africa 49- 47, will provide a stern test to the Golden Flyers.
Namibia will seek to sustain the momentum following their win at the inaugural UAE Netball Cup held in June this year.
