A 68-40 victory over Singapore yesterday has enabled the Gems to stand a chance to contest for the 13th position at the on-going Netball World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa. The win came after Zimbabwe had also thrashed Sri Lanka 71-36 in their second match of the preliminaries stage two.
After finishing bottom in their pool matches, Zimbabwe was grouped together with Sri Lanka, Singapore and Barbados in Pool E to contest for bottom four positions. Though the wins are coming a bit late since the Gems are already in the bottom four contest, the victory will give them something to cheer and put a smile on their faces.
In case they manage to keep this performance in their next game tomorrow against Barbados, the Gems will finish this tournament on position 13, while a loss will leave them sitting on 14th position. Team captain Felisitus Kwangwa said although the wins are coming a bit late, the team just needs to keep up the performance to ensure a perfect finish.
“We are happy that we managed to push ourselves throughout the game. It was really tough, you could tell that everyone was tired. Our bodies couldn’t move anymore, but we really wanted this win so that we can prove ourselves. Though it’s probably too late, like I always said, there is, however, something to look forward to, which is winning until the final whistle,” Kwangwa said.
Unlike in their first matches where they lacked the fighting spirit and a concrete game plan, the Gems have managed to come out of their shell, with some changes in the attacking side yielding positive results. Versatile player Nicole Muzanenhamo’s shift from centre to goal attack position, partnering with Australia-based Nalani Makunde has provided the much-needed winning formula.
In Tuesday’s game, the Gems dominated from the beginning of the game up to the final whistle, managing to finish the first half of the game with a 38-19 lead. Only Beaulla Hlungwani managed to come in as a substitute for Claris Kwaramba and Progress Moyo on centre and wing attack positions in the final half whilst the rest of the team maintained their positions.
Though the girls were a little bit tired as they were coming from a match the previous night, they managed to endure and kept the fighting spirit until the end with a 28 goal lead. Elizabeth “Stretchy” Mushore was the player of the match after her superb performance in defence.
