SPAR Baby Proteas expect young Sunshine Girls rebound
Published:Tuesday | January 21, 2025 | 12:10 AMGregory Bryce/Gleaner Writer
SOUTH AFRICA’S under-21 head coach, Precious Mthembu, is expecting to face a difficult young Sunshine Girls tomorrow despite a massive 30-point victory in the first of a three-game series on Saturday at the National Indoor Sports Centre (NISC).
Tomorrow’s game, the first of a doubleheader at the NISC, is set for a 3:30 p.m. start, after which the seniors do battle at 7:00.
The South Africans were in fine form over the weekend when they got the better of the young Sunshine Girls 31-61 in their first meeting in the Margaret Beckford Sunshine Series.
After a 21-29 scoreline lead in the first two quarters, the SPAR Baby Proteas put their opponents to the sword in a dominant display of attacking prowess.
After the game, head coach Mthembu said the scoreline was a major confidence boost for her players.
However, she cautioned them against taking their feet off the pedal as she believes the young Sunshine Girls will return with a sharper mindset for the second game.
“It is a positive thing and definitely a confidence booster for us to win by such a big margin. I don’t think we should be relaxed too much,” she told The Gleaner in her post-match interview.
“I do believe the Sunshine Girls will come back after analysing us and seeing where we are weak. Coming from here, we will see where we can execute, and go further and harder for the next game.”
Mthembu explained that she and her coaching staff will focus on keeping the players’ confidence high as they prepare for the next encounter.
While she had identified areas the team will need to improve on, they will also be praising the areas of their game that the team had successfully executed.
“It’s only positive talks now for the team,” she stated.
“They are a young team, so the thing to do right now is to say positive stuff to them and focus on the things they did well. I think from there, we will do well for the second game of the series.”
Mthembu said the Sunshine Series is being used as preparations for the Netball World Youth Cup slated to be held in Gibraltar this September.
She explained while the SPAR Baby Proteas have their competitions in Africa, it is also important for the team to compete against international teams to experience a wide array of netball opponents.
“We have big competitions in South Africa. All these girls have been involved as well in the TNC [Telkom National Championships] which is at the school level. That is where we identify them for the squad that we are working with in the moment,” Mthembu explained.
“We got here a couple of days before so that we could adapt to the weather, the climate and anything else. We got some practice matches in which is good but hopefully it is a good preparation for the World Cup,” she continued.
The series finale takes place on Saturday at the NISC.