CHARLES SIWELE
The final round of fixtures in theTuksNetball Intramural League was played on Tuesday 21 August. The finalists faced off in a dramatic game that went to sudden-death after the match ended with the scores tied at 11-11 at full time. Curlitzia created the first opportunity to snatch victory in the sudden-death stage but failed to capitalise after a well-worked series of passes put them in front of goal, as goal shooter Monique de Villiers failed to convert the opportunity.
Klaradyn gained possession and executed a swift counter-attack to get to the opposite end of the court and secure the goal that gave their team the win, courtesy of Karien van Niekerk’s shot. Klaradyn captain Adé van Heerden admitted the game was the most difficult of their season and praised Curlitzia’s performance. “Of all the teams we played this season, they [Curlitzia] were definitely the best,” Van Heerden said, adding that composure was one of the keys to their victory. “We stayed calm under pressure, so that was important, especially when the crowd is so close and loud, so it was nice.”
Curlitzia captain Joanita Viljoen was visibly disappointed, but said: “It was nice. It was a very challenging, intense and awesome game.” She also praised her team’s spirit and identified their excellent team chemistry as the key to their success this season. “We played as a team. We’re very, very close. We didn’t even need to tell each other what to do: we all just knew, so we played well.”
The evening ended with a prize-giving event that saw first, second and third placed teams, in both the senior and junior leagues, receive awards recognising their achievements. The Vividus junior team, who impressed throughout the season, secured the junior league trophy after beating a disappointing Madelief team 12-3 in the juniors’ final.
Photo: Melissa Kemp
