It was predicted that the Varsity netball final was going to be full out war and the players of UP-Tuks and Kovsies did not disappoint last night in Bloemfontein.
In the end, when it really mattered it boiled down to the team who wanted it most and judging by what happened in the last ten minutes, it was the Kovsies.
UP-Tuks had a four lead goal and seemed to have the result wrapped up. However, somehow last year’s champions allowed themselves to get rattled. That led to them erring at crucial moments. The Kovsies capitalised on each mistake ensuring the numbers on the scoreboard continuously kept on changing.
The extent to which UP-Tuks self-destructed was reflected on the scoreboard. With four minutes left in the game, Kovsies was leading by seven goals. Kudos to the UP-Tuks players who made a last valiant stand desperately trying to wipe out the deficit but it turned out to be a case of too little too late. The final score was 63-59.
The final will be remembered as a real roller coaster affair. Kovsies opened with a “blitzkrieg” to take the early lead. After the first quarter, they were leading by four. During the next 30 minutes UP-Tuks slowly but surely clawed their way back into the game. When the third quarter ended, Kovsies had only a one-goal lead.
Judging by what happened throughout the year in all the tournaments played it is clear that UP-Tuks and Kovsies are currently the two best teams. The players of the two sides clashed on six occasions in different competitions this season, and both were victorious three times.
Jenny van Dyk has undoubtedly deserved credit for the way she mustered her “troops” to contest the final of each tournament they played. The teams she coached were victorious in the Brutal Fruit Series, as well as during the USSA and SPAR National Championships.
From a UP-Tuks players perspective, it was exciting to see how Iné-Mari Venter gained confidence as a goal scorer and later on playing goal-attack. Tshina Mdau proved herself to be a real leader on the court while Akosua Mensah established herself as one of the best defenders. Marlize de Bruin’s commitment to being the best she can be is admirable.
It was also exciting last night to see Juzelri Garbers coming close to the form she had last year before she severely injured her knee in the 2017 Varsity-final.
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