By Edwin Mbewe
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Dyna Netball team outplayed their sister team Vanessa in both group stages and finals of Vanessa Invitation Netball Bonanza played on Saturday 3rd February 2024 at Bingu National Stadium.
The junior side showed the clear intent of winning the Bonanza by defeating Vanessa 22-14 in group stages before thrashing their elders 16-15 in a highly contested final to win the championship.
Vanessa took the lead in the first half and thought they had killed it all, but Dyna came hard on them in the second half and put their elder sisters under siege.
They kept pressing hard for the goals and scored more in succession to neutralize Vanessa’s hype.
At the end of the final match, Vanessa grieved and failed to believe that they had suffered twice at the hands of their juniors.
For being champions, Dyan received MK175,000 and Vanessa went home with MK150,000 for being runners-up.
Yankho Super Queens took home MK100,000 for finishing third whereas Ndaula’s netball team pocketed MK50,000 after being knocked out in the group stages.
Other results in the group stages, in pool A, Sharp Shooters 29-27 Yankho Super Queens. Dyna Queens 22-14 Vanessa and Kalulu 21-23 Sharp Shooters.
In pool B, Ndaula 26-41 Dyna, Yankho 28-13 Kalulu and Vanessa 21-12 Ndaula.
In the semi-final one Vanessa hammered Sharp Shooters 12-10 and in semi-final two, Dyna Queens defeated Yankho Super Queens 11-7.
After the tournament, the Central Region netball committee chairperson Cecilia Mtukule lauded Anthony Msendema for sponsoring the one-day Bonanza saying this has greatly helped them to scout players who can represent the nation in the forthcoming under 21 World Cup netball championship qualifiers.
“This has been a very good tournament for us as we have managed to scout under 21 players, it was an exciting day as huge talent from the grassroots has been identified.
“Let me thank the sponsor Anthony Msendema for the gesture as it is rare in the region. The tournament has also given the coaches of the six teams an insight into where to rectify their teams ahead of the new season”, said Mtukule.
The Sponsor of the tournament Anthony Msendema was overwhelmed with the way the teams displayed their skillful play.
“I am overwhelmed by the spirit of the teams, the dedication shown was extraordinary and they have performed beyond as I expected. The goal of the tournament has been overachieved as the main aim was to identify the weaknesses in the clubs ahead of the season.
“But what we have witnessed here is that the teams are geared for the new season. I believe this tourney will propel them to engage another gear towards their preparations,” narrates Msendema.
Msendema further revealed that the tournament will be an ongoing thing with another one projected to come in March where the middle teams in the Mpico Central region netball league will be included.
He added, that their main target this season is for Dyna and Vanessa to finish within the top four and even beyond in the MK24 million Central Region netball league.
Dyna Netball Club finished at position 7 in the Central Region Netball league in the 2023 season as Vanessa finished 9th.
