Six schools from the Free State have secured a slot in the national final of this year’s edition of the DStv Schools Netball Challenge (DSNC). The top six schools qualified for the national after round-robin matches which commenced in April.
- These schools are: The Hoër Meisieskool Oranje, Eunice High School, and Sentraal High School that will compete in the Botho urban schools’ category; and) Ikaheng Zakheni Secondary School, Thakameso Comprehensive School, and Bainsvlei Combined School, that will compete in the Ubuntu rural schools’ category.
Oranje, Eunice, Sentraal, and Bainsvlei Combined are Bloemfontein-based, Ikaheng Zakheni from Petrus Steyn, and Thakameso from Kroonstad.
This year’s national finals are set to take place from 21 to 23 July at the Hoërskool Florida in Roodepoort, where 45 schools and their respective U17 teams will compete for honours in the two categories. The schools represent the nine provinces in the third annual competition, where two schools will be crowned the overall champions of the country.
Bainsvlei Combined qualified their first-ever participation in the national final, based on their impressive performance in the district matches of the Motheo region. The school, catering to learners on the outskirts of Bloemfontein, proves to be a force to be reckoned with.
In last year’s competitions the gutsy school saw off numerous opponents from township. In the School Sports League, a festival featuring multiple sporting codes, they beat the likes of Tsoseletso School.
Oranje, the defending champion, are hoping to emulate last year’s performance to extend their winning record to two consecutive wins at this year’s final. In last year’s final, they beat the Paarl Girls’ High School 26 – 23 after coming back from the back foot.
There have been four winners since the challenge launched in 2021. Last year’s champions were Oranje from the Botho category, and the Eastern Cape’s KwaZakhele High School from the Ubuntu category.
