NDF Windhoek rise from relegation threat

Netball
NDF Windhoek enjoyed three victories in the round and handed the second-placed side their second defeat of the season in the process.
Mariud Ngula
  • 6 Hours Ago

Namibian Defence Force (NDF) Windhoek were flirting with relegation in the Khomas Netball League Super Ten, but three victories last weekend lifted them from eighth to fifth, moving them 13 points clear of the drop zone.

The league’s first encounters of the round were staged at the Trustco United netball courts in Windhoek on Friday night.

NDF Windhoek headlined the final match of the day against second-placed Go Monate Fella, who the weekend before last lost their league leading status after suffering their first defeat of the season to Namibian Correctional Service (NCS).  The latter did not feature in the round.

The experienced NDF Windhoek side beat Go Monate Fella 34-28, handing them their second defeat of the season. NDF then continued their strong run the following day at the Israel Patrick Iyambo Police College netball courts, recording narrow victories over United A 35-33 and Golden Girls B 36-34.


Experienced side prevails

Speaking to Sport Wrap after their encounter with United A, NDF Windhoek captain Ngutjiua Rukero admitted her side’s experience made all the difference in securing the victory.

“[We won because] we’re an experienced team. All my players are [netball] veterans. That was what made us beat United A, as we heavily relied on experience to counter the tired bodies from having played the day before,” she said.

NDF Windhoek have now played eight matches and sit fifth in the league with 21 points.

Go Monate Fella will be ruing their loss to NDF, as a win or draw would have seen them reclaim top spot. However, they picked up five points in the round after a 47-30 victory over United B, including a bonus point for scoring more than 45 goals.

They are now level on 31 points with NCS, but Go Monate Fella’s 40-22 defeat to the league leaders still weighs heavily in the standings, as NCS hold a superior goal difference of +82 to Go Monate’s +58.


Nust leapfrog Jaguars

Namibia University of Science and Technology’s (Nust) sole victory in the round, a 39-30 win over Tigers, saw them draw level on 23 points with the University of Namibia (Unam) Jaguars, who did not feature in the round.

Nust ultimately leapfrogged the Jaguars from fourth to third because of a superior goal difference, +104 to +83.

Tigers’ defeat to Nust saw them drop from fifth to sixth on 19 points after eight matches, while NDF Windhoek’s three-match winning run lifted them into fifth place.

Golden Girls B’s only victory from two matches, a 38-27 win over United B on Friday night, was not enough to threaten Wanderers, who did not feature in the round.

Wanderers now sit seventh with 16 points after eight matches, while Golden Girls B’s four points could only take them as far as 14 points after eight matches, leaving them flirting with the drop zone in eighth place.

United A and United B occupy the relegation zone in ninth and tenth, respectively, after both failed to pick up points in the round.


Afrocat Lions continue dominance

In the second division, Afrocat Lions A remain the benchmark after their sole match of the round saw them rout Black Africa 48-15 to stay top with 33 points after seven matches.

Nust also enjoyed a flawless run in the round, beating Zebra Force 34-32 and Tigers 43-41 to remain second with 22 points after six matches.

Third place has a new owner in Afrocat Lions B, whose back-to-back victories over Unam Jaguars 36-18 and Tura Magic 36-30 saw them move up from sixth after accumulating 16 points from six matches.

City of Windhoek retained fourth place after their sole match of the round saw them beat Tura Magic 48-39 to move to 15 points after six matches.

Tigers’ loss to Nust saw them drop from third to fifth with 14 points after six matches.

Zebra Force’s 35-23 victory over Unam Jaguars moved them from seventh to sixth on 12 points after seven matches.

Tura Magic dropped from fifth to seventh after failing to pick up points in the round, remaining on nine points after seven matches.


Tightly contested third division

In the third division, top spot is tightly contested, with the top three teams tied on 25 points after winning their sole matches in the round and separated only by goal difference (GD).

Afrocat Lions occupy top spot after a 26-16 victory over United B, backed by a superior GD of +111.

Go Monate Fella follow in second after their 37-25 victory over TC Gladiators moved them to a +92 GD.

Closing out the tied top three are Tura Magic, who sit third after a 15-0 victory over Windhoek City moved them to a +83 GD.

However, Tura Magic and Afrocat Lions have a game in hand, with Go Monate Fella having played seven matches.

Gladiators’ failure to pick up points in the round saw them drop from second to fourth on 21 points after seven matches.

Nust’s 40-16 victory over Black Africa saw them retain sixth place on 19 points after six matches, only one point behind Young Generations, who sit fifth on 20 points after six matches.

City of Windhoek’s 15-0 victory over Okamita United put them level on 13 points with Windhoek City, but City of Windhoek leapfrogged the latter to go into seventh place because of a superior GD, +49 to -9.

– [email protected]