The Kingdom Stars were crowned the champions in a highly anticipated and competitive Division 2 final of the Telkom Netball League (TNL) held at the Ellis Park Arena in Johannesburg.
Stars had an incredible campaign after getting relegated last year by the Limpopo Baobabs.
They were exceptional in the round-robin stages, winning fourteen out of the sixteen games they played and securing a semi-final spot against the Tornados.
But it wasn’t an easy semi-final against the Eastern Cape side, who showed progress in every match but were outclassed by Precious Mthembu and her charges, booking their spot in Tuesday’s final against the Eastern Cape Comets.
The Comets brought intensity to the TNL, experiencing defeat only once during the round-robin stages, courtesy of KD Stars, in the first power week of May.
The Comets, playing in their first-ever final, gave everything they had.
It took them many years to get to this point, they finished in sixth place last year.
This marks an incredible improvement for them and for Zandile Njeza, who coached the Comets for the first time this year.
The final was neck-to-neck from the first centre pass to the final whistle.
The only big goal gap was three points between the two sides, which is how tightly contested the match was.
An incredible performance by the Stars’ defensive unit of Dikeledi Mpanza, Nozipho Ntshangase and Grace Daley, who turned things around, capitalising on the mistakes of the Comets.
Precious Mthembu has now won the title as both player and coach.
Meanwhile, this afternoon Wednesday, 19 June, the Stars will have an opportunity to reclaim their spot in the A division in a relegation/promotion rematch against the Baobabs.
In the bronze medal final, the Tornados emerged victorious and scooped the bronze medal after a hard-earned 44-39 victory against a resilient Sunbirds team.
Both teams were determined to finish strong, and it was evident in the third quarter when the Tornados capitalized on the Sunbirds’ mistakes to take the lead, but they lacked discipline in their attack, giving away too many balls.
However, it was the Tornados that appeared more threatening in the final quarter, consistently scoring goals.
Andri Kannemeyer played a crucial role in her team’s five-goal victory and secured her second Player of the Match award in the tournament.
FULL DAY RESULTS:
Division B – PLAYOFF POSITION 5/6
SONOBLOMO 60-61 TSHUKUDU (In extra time)
Division A – PLAYOFF POSITION 5/6
Aloes 51-52 Flames
Division B – PLAYOFF POSITION 3/4
Sunbirds 39-44 Tornados
Division A – PLAYOFF POSITION 3/4
Stings 41-43 Fireballs
Division B – FINAL
Comets 35-37 KD Stars
DIVISION TWO INDIVIDUAL AWARDS:
Best Shooter: Aphiwe Thusini – KD Stars
Best Centre: Arne Rust – EC Comets
Best Defender: Amarachi Agbai
Stand Tall Player of the Tournament: Nozipho Ntshangase – KD Stars
DIVISION TWO FINAL STANDINGS:
- Kingdom Stars
- EC Comets
- Tornado
- Sunbirds
- Sonoblomo
- Tshukudu
- Kingdom Queens
- Diamonds
- Lillies
Wednesday (19 June 2024) Fixtures:
16:00|PROMOTION/RELEGATION MATCH| Baobabs vs Stars
18:00|Div.1 FINAL| Jaguars vs Crinums
