Netball South Africa
The South African under-21 netball squad made a clean sweep of all their matches in their short tour of Singapore.
The Young Proteas played the Singapore under-21 side three times, Malaysia Schools and the Singapore Open team during their brief visit.
Squad coach Dorette Badenhorst is very pleased with the outcome of the matches, with South Africa showing complete dominance on the court. “We have a great group of players with a lot of potential,” said Badenhorst. “This ensures some exciting combinations, and I expect a good performance at the World Cup.”
She said the players had learned a good deal during the tour. “It was a learning experience both on and off the court,” she said. “For some of the players, it was their first time out of South Africa, and they now know something of the challenges that playing away from their country can bring. The players supported one another and this helped them deal effectively with difficult circumstances, such as the extreme heat and humidity. “They also adapted quickly to playing on the international stage. Once again, the support for one another was very important, especially for those who had won their first caps.”
The tour of Singapore formed part of the squad’s preparations for the Under-21 World Youth Championships in Glasgow in August, and Badenhorst believed it was important that the momentum gained in Singapore should be maintained.
Tour results: SA u.21 bt Singapore u.21 65-26; SA u.21 bt Singapore u.21 70-29;SA u.21 bt Singapore u.21 62-31; SA u.21 bt Malaysia Sport School 50-35; SA u.21 bt Singapore Opens 57-33; SA u.21 bt Singapore Opens 54-20.
