Hosts Johannesburg held their nerve to defeat Mangaung 53-52 in a gripping final of the SPAR National Netball Championships hosted by the City of Johannesburg on Saturday to claim a third straight title.
Having lost to the Free State team during the round-robin stage earlier in the week, Johannesburg made sure to avoid the same mistakes at the start of the match.
While they briefly dropped behind in the opening quarter, the home side ensured they were all square by the first break which was reached with the score on 14-14.
It was in the final four minutes of the second quarter that the Johannesburg team started to edge ahead, thanks to a better shooting percentage.
With just three goals in it at half-time (29-26) there was all the play for in the second half.
Johannesburg managed to capitalise on the mistakes creeping into Mangaung’s play and by the end of the third period, they had opened the gap to six goals (44-38).
With victory within their grasp, it was Johannesburg who started committing the errors, however, allowing Mangaung to launch a massive fightback in the final seven minutes of the match.
With the hosts looking rattled, Mangaung closed the gap at speed, but in the end fell heartbreakingly short, eventually losing by just one goal.
The loss denied Mangaung a hat-trick of their own after winning the Telkom Netball League and Varsity Netball titles this year.
“That was very rough. I thought we had done enough but Mangaung produced an incredible fightback so well done to them.
We nearly lost it for ourselves but in the end, we absorbed the pressure well and I’m grateful that we could pull through.
“It means a lot, to win this competition that I played in myself three times in a row is something special.
It’s been a tough week with the heat and to manage these girls and then to put up a fight like that, I’m proud,” said Johannesburg coach Dr Elsjé Jordaan.
The coach’s comments were echoed by the triumphant captain, Didintle Keebine.
“I feel very overwhelmed but most importantly so proud of my team.
This really meant a lot.
This week was massive.
Every player has grown, taking the hits, standing strong, not standing back for anyone, taking your ground, putting your put on the ground and saying, ‘I want this.’
And we did it,” said Keebine.
Earlier in the day, the Dr Kenneth Kaunda team from North West got the better of Cape Winelands, beating them 33-30 to secure third place.
In the under-21 tournament, Johannesburg dethroned defending champions Tshwane with a commanding 42-32 victory.
