Champagne on ice for NCS

Namibia Correctional Service almost certainly retained the MTC Netball Premier League title after beating their closest rivals Namibian Navy 41-39 in a thriller on Sunday. 

Although the league is not over yet, NCS now hold a four-point lead over Navy and with just three matches remaining they can already put the champagne on ice. 

In a great contest at the Khomasdal Stadium between the league’s top two clubs this season, NCS took an 11-8 lead by the end of the first quarter, but Navy fought back to take a 21-20 lead by halftime. 

With their vociferous fans urging them on, NCS came back to draw level at 30-30 by the third quarter, before edging ahead in a frenetic final quarter.

NCS took a four-point lead at 40-36, and although Navy managed to reduce the gap to a single point, NCS held on to win the match 41-39. 

That victory followed a 47-27 win against Mighty Gunners on Saturday and put NCS at the top of the log on 36 points after 18 wins and one defeat from 19 matches.

Navy, who also thrashed Tsumeb Netball Club 74-15 on Sunday, are now second on 32 points from 18 matches, and although they have a match in hand, it’s highly unlikely that NCS will lose their remaining three matches.

Although the league is not over yet, NCS coach Salomon Tuaire said they have just about clinched the title now.

“This was one of the toughest matches that I’ve ever been involved in. There was a lot at stake, but I think from here on it should be a fairly easy road, not to undermine the teams that we still have to play, but I think we have clinched the title,” he said. 

“I’m elated and ecstatic to have won the title for the second year now – it’s one of those things that you can’t really describe so let’s just say I’m over the moon,” he added. 

Describing the match and their tactics, Tuaire said they went back to basics in the final quarter. 

“We started off very well and led at the start, but they came back to draw level by the third quarter, we fumbled a bit and made a couple of mistakes. But I sat the girls down and we just went back to basics – the short passes and getting back to working combinations – and I think that worked in our favour. I think I was trying combinations that were not really gelling on the day and that almost cost us the game,” he said. 

Wanderers, meanwhile, moved up to fourth place on the log after just managing to beat Eastern Chiefs 35-34 on Saturday.

In a close encounter Wanderers led 12-10, 20-18 and 25-24 at the end of the first three quarters before sealing a dramatic one-point win, which puts them fourth on the log on 23 points, just two behind third-placed Mighty Gunners. 

Tigers moved up to fifth place on 19 points after posting two victories over the weekend. On Saturday they comfortably beat Eastern Chiefs 61-24, and followed it up with a 50-39 victory against Otjozondjupa Nampol the next day. 

In other results, Unam Jaguars beat Young Stars 57-34 and Otjozondjupa Nampol 44-37, but drew 40-40 against Unam Ogongo; Unam Ogongo beat Tsumeb Netball Club 47-25; and Eastern Chiefs beat Young Stars 47-26.