The Proteas won their opening match of the World Cup netball tournament and man, it was pretty much a party for you in Cape Town.
The foundation for the South Africans’ eventual victory of 61 – 50 was undoubtedly laid in the first quarter when they started the game like wildfire.
One beautiful pass after another was caught by willing hands and Ine-Marí Venter’s goal circle skills ensured that the scoreboard remained in motion.
Poor Wales probably suffered from shock for the first 15 minutes of the clash: Every dear Protea move was loudly cheered by the home crowd and the spectators were indeed the eighth Protea player on the court.
No wonder the score was 18 – 9 after the first quarter.
After the first two quarters, it’s SPAR Proteas’ advantage – they lead 32-24.
Watch their opening #NWC2023 match LIVE: https://t.co/ACEUH7ehZ3 pic.twitter.com/Y0KiHUHb6j
— SuperSport ???? (@SuperSportTV) July 28, 2023
Still, Wales did not lie down and despite Karla Pretorius and Phumza Maweni’s excellent defensive work, the Feathers also began to show what they are capable of.
However, the Proteas still came up with some smooth moves and if they can play for the rest of the tournament with the same fire and passion as in the first quarter, the podium place dream can become a reality.
However, there is still a lot of water in the sea.
Protea Netball Team: Ine-Marí Venter (goal), Elmeré van der Berg (assist goal), Bongi Msomi (captain and attacking wing), Khanyisa Chawane (centre), Shadine van der Merwe (defensive wing), Karla Pretorius (assistant defender) and Phumza Maweni (defender ). Substitutes: Lenize Potgieter, Nichole Taljaard, Izette Griesel, Jeanté Strydom and Nicola Smith.
Saturday’s fixtures:
09:00: New Zealand v Uganda and Zimbabwe v Fiji
11am: Jamaica v Wales and Australia v Tonga
16:00: South Africa v Sri Lanka and Scotland v Barbados
18:00: England v Malawi and Trinidad and Tobago v Singapore.
