NETBALL NEWS - Confusion reigned at the start of the 2018 SPAR National Netball Championships at Young Park in Port Elizabeth on Monday, with two teams failing to arrive in time to register for the event, and another team dropping out of the A-section to the B-section.
Tournament Director Mami Diale said tournament regulations required teams to register by 10am on the morning of the first day of the tournament.
Two teams – Johannesburg and Umzinyathi (Dundee) – did not arrive in time to register and had to be withdrawn. Johannesburg was scheduled to play in Section A and Umzinyathi in Section B.
Meanwhile, Ethekwini asked to drop down to the B-section. As a result, playing schedules had to be changed. Some teams will have to play as many as three matches a day.
On the courts, Tshwane, who are effectively the defending champions, got off to an excellent start, beating Bojanala (Rustenburg) by 90 goals to 20 and then overpowering Sarah Baartman (Kimberley) by a massive 113 goals to 13.
Tshwane, coached by Jenny van Dyk, are essentially the same team as Gauteng, which won the championships last year.
