BLOEMFONTEIN – The highly anticipated rematch of last year’s Varsity Netball final will close out round four of the fiercely contested competition at the Callie Human Hall today at the University of the Free State (UFS).
The match features the defending champions, the North West University (NWU) Eagles, and runners-up, the UFS Kovsies. Kick-off is at 19:00.
In last year’s final held at the Callie Human Hall in Bloemfontein, the Eagles produced a stunning fourth-quarter comeback to dethrone Kovsies 57 – 49 – crushing the prospects of their sixth title. The UFS women held a five-goal advantage heading into the final stretch, but the Eagles shifted gears during the power play to claim their third overall title. The hosts will be looking to avenge the defeat when they meet tonight.
Led by South African and internationally respected coach Burta de Kock, the UFS side is the most successful of the eight teams in South Africa’s premier netball competition. Still unbeaten, the Kovsies claimed their third straight win by beating a determined Wits 50 – 42, keeping the pressure on fellow unbeaten arch-rivals and leaders, the University of Johannesburg (UJ), who recorded a clinical 60 – 43 victory over the Eagles. Both the UJ and the Kovsies are tied at 12 points, with the UJ topping the log on a 45-goal difference and the Kovsies second on a 17-goal difference.
The Eagles and the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), currently tied on eight points in third and fourth positions, will be looking to redeem themselves in their fixtures. The Wits players are up against the high-flying UJ with their kick-off at 13:00. The Maties of the Stellenbosch University take on the University of Pretoria (UP-Tuks) at 15:00.
The winless debutant, the Central University of Technology (CUT), Free State, led by Martha Mosoahle-Samm, will be gunning for their first win against the Madibaz of the Nelson Mandela University (NMU) at 17:00. The newcomers, CUT, boast one point in the bag, while the Madibaz hunt their first win, or even a single point.
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