The Proteas’ 2-1 test series win over England’s netball team in Johannesburg on Sunday was due to long, hard hours of training.
Tuks second-year BCom business management student, Kyla Dames, will testify to that. Many times her day starts at five in the morning, but you won’t hear her complain. She realises that sacrifices are necessary to achieve success.
South Africa won the first test 52-48, lost the second test (61-49) and won 65-50 on Sunday.
“The feeling was something no one can describe. This team has been through so many ups and downs; it was just so much joy when that whistle blew. On Sunday, before the match, we just decided together as a team that we were tired of losing.
“We have tried to look beyond intimidation, because that is not going to get us anywhere. So we backed ourselves, but I will definitely say that we now know for sure what this team is capable of. We deserve to win a series, especially against a big netball country like England,” said Dames.
It is rumoured that after the defeat in the second test, Proteas head coach Jenny van Dyk spent up to 3am analysing the match to identify the English team’s strengths and weaknesses. It was worth the effort as it made her realise that England can be beaten.
Dames confirmed this, saying, “Yes, our coaches really worked very hard and put in many hours to make sure that we knew exactly what to expect. This, in the end, led us to the results we were looking for.”
Dames praised the team’s defenders for their play throughout the series.
About her own performance, she said, “I definitely think there are things I can improve on in my game. I learn something new at every practice. It was also my first series against a big country, so that ice has been broken now.”
The Tuks student who plays as a wing attack debuted for the Proteas in December during the African Cup Tournament in Malawi. Getting Player of the Match award the first time you play for the Proteas netball team sounds like a fairy tale – too good to be true. It did happen. Dames was brilliant against Tanzania.
In September last year, she also starred playing for the Proteas under-21 side at the Netball World Youth Cup in Gibraltar.
As for her best on-court traits, Dames said she considers herself a player her teammates can rely on.
“I bring stability to the team. I will never pass the ball without considering the possible outcome.”
Kamogelo Maseko is the other current Tuks player who was in action in the series against England.
It is worth noting that Van Dyk was TuksNetball’s head coach. While she coached at Tuks, she adhered to the simple principle of hating to lose, as she is a perfectionist.
She was quoted in an interview at the time saying, “My campaign for any tournament starts with a good game plan. It means trying to figure out every possible scenario beforehand. Still, nothing is ever set in stone. As a coach, I constantly tweak things to see if I can give the players an edge.
“I want every team I coach to win. The more players get to win, the lower the chance they will panic under pressure.”
