Netball giants BDF Cats stretched their gap at the top of the My Spar My Botswana Netball South League over the past weekend. In a closely contested match played at Botswana Netball Association (BONA) courts, BDF Cats continued their dominance in the local league with staggering performances.
Playing against second best, Notwane lost the game with a seven point difference after an interesting encounter that kept coaches on their toes.
The game started off with both teams going into the break of the first quarter at stalemate. It was in the second stanza that the Cats opened up spaces creating more scoring opportunities that led to a few goals difference heading to the second break. The third and fourth quarter ended with BDF Cats stamping authority and remaining on top of the log table with four games before the end of the South league.
In other league games played over the weekend, Jungle Queens came from behind to force a win against UB Crystal in yet another interesting fixture. After trailing from behind in the first half of the game, the Jungle Queens stepped up in the third quarter taking the lead and finished the match with a 53 against UB Crystal’s 43.
Sending another statement to championship contention, BDF Cats muscled Jungle Queens 65-22 in what was a one-sided affair. The Cats wrapped up the game in the second quarter when they went to the break leading by 33-14 in a game that ended 65-22.
However, Notwane brushed aside Flying Hawks in their second game with an outstanding performance with a 94-8 score line. Hawks could not handle yet another pressure when they lost to Prisons on their second match of the day.
In an interview with The Telegraph, BDF Cats coach Neo Phinda said her team is in good shape to convincingly win the league this season.
“We have always set a target to win the league before the start of the campaign. Our players are focused and the technical team has been motivating them to stay disciplined and focused all the time until we bring the trophy home,” said Phinda.
She said despite lack of competition against their side, she is impressed that some of their young players have shown glimpses of stardom when given a chance.
“It is a fact that there is lack of expected competition within the league but as a club we have set a standard that will assist our players to put extra effort in their game to be among the best players in the country and region. We played our game against Notwane with youthful players in the first half for them to gain exposure and brought in experienced players in the last half to seal the game. Our players have now gained fitness and no team will stop us as we are focused on clinching the title,” concluded Phinda.
