The SPAR Proteas wrapped up a 3-0 clean sweep against Malawi with a 69-24 victory over their regional rivals in the final Test of the Spar Challenge netball series at Ellis Park Arena on Sunday.
The 45-goal winning margin was the largest of the series, with the home side having won the first Test by 37 goals and the second by 31.
The South African coaching team once again switched things up in the starting lineup for the third clash, with goal shooter Ine-Marie Venter taking to the court for the first time in the series. Nichole Breedt returned after her first Test appearance at wing attack. This time she looked far more comfortable at goal attack, although it took some time for the shooting circle to settle – Venter missing her first two attempts before slotting one in.
Unlike Saturday’s Test, where a tight first quarter ended with the teams level on 13-13, the Proteas took control of Sunday’s match from early on, surging to 16-7 by the end of the period and not looking back.
They reached half-time 31-11 up and 19 goals in the third quarter saw them go into teh final 15 minutes leading 50-19.
Proteas captain Kanyisa Chawane praised her team for a commanding performance in the series, saying: “I’m really happy with how we went about this whole series, how we started and how we finished.
“As much as the coaches did look for more consistency, I think we did climb up each and every game and really improved. I’m really impressed with the group because every combination that the coach decided to put on, we were there for one another and really played well and supported one another.”
Head coach Jenny van Dyk said while there is still plenty to work on, the team will, for now, be celebrating accomplishing their mission to secure a convincing series clean sweep.
“It was great score-wise. I was very pleased with the final result,” she said. “At this stage, it’s important for us to enjoy the moment. We’ve got a 3-0 victory over Malawi on our first run and we’ve tested quite a lot of different combinations and we’ve put all our players to the Test.”
Player awards
Best shooter: Elmeré van Berg (SA)
Best centre: Thandie Galeta (Malawi)
Best defender: Karla Pretorius (SA)
Player of the Tournament: Kamogelo Maseko (SA)
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