Perfection in sports is impossible, but it is said that if you chase perfection, you can catch excellence.
Tuks’s netball team proved it last night in Soweto when they outplayed Maties in a Varsity Tournament encounter to win 60-38. It is a result no one saw coming. Maties is, after all, the defending champions. They also won the USSA Tournament earlier this year, beating Tuks twice.
Tuks laid the foundation for their victory with a blitzkrieg in the first 15 minutes, scoring 17 goals and conceding only eight. From then on, Tuks continued outscoring Maties in the remaining quarters, stretching their lead with clinical precision. They were imposing with the way they went about executing the basics.
Alice Kennon and Marichelle Visagie seemingly have fine-tuned the art of goal shooting. Hardly ever missing. Not surprisingly, they ended the game with a 93-goal shooting percentage.
Kudos also to Phophi Nematangari. She was brilliant on defence. It did not go unnoticed. Last night, she got the Player of the Match award. It was the second time in two days that the honour had befallen her. She was also the best Player on Sunday when Tuks played the Madibaz.
One of her best traits as a player is the ease with which she can intercept the ball.
“What helps is my ability to read a game. It enables me to be in the right place at the right time to intercept. “Coach Jenny (Van Dyk)” has encouraged me to go for interceptions against Maties. And I did.”
As to Tuks’s performance, Nematangari said it was a case of playing the game ball by ball.
“Our aim with each game is to be 1% better in the execution of the basics that we were in the previous round. It is working.”
Kennon, Tuks’s co-captain, said, “I’m so proud of the girls. We have genuinely been working hard over the last few weeks, and it is paying dividends.
“Maties obviously was a big one for us after the USSA Tournament. What made a real difference is that we completely trust each other’s abilities and on-court communication.”
TuksNetball’s head coach, Jenny van Dyk, described the team’s performance as excellent. But then again, Van Dyk is not one for half-measures.
“There are still a few areas where we were soft. For one, the players need to up the intensity of their play. Against Maties, they handed the on-court physicality well.”
Tuks and Northwest are the only two unbeaten teams. Due to the goal difference, Tuks tops the log with 20 points after five games. Northwest also has 20 points. The two teams will clash the following Monday in Stellenbosch. It is bound to be a humdinger.
As things stand, UJ is third on the log with 14 points, and Maties is fourth with 12 points.