The provincial netball team, the Eastern Cape Aloes have started this year’s Brutal Fruit Netball Premier League on a high note.
In their opening game, played at the Durban University of Technology on Friday, the team defeated KwaZulu-Natal’s Kingdom Stars 38-30.
In the first quarter the Eastern Cape Aloes were leading 4-0, but Kingdom Stars fought their way back into the match during the stanza, which they managed to control at some stages.
By the end of the first quarter, Kingdom Stars were leading the contest, after the Eastern Cape Aloes failed to get the ball though to their shooters.
However, the Aloes came back strongly in the second quarter.
This was after they made a few changes to their goal-shooter and defence.
By the end of the second quarter they had managed to draw level with Kingdom Stars, with both teams on 17 points.
It was in the third quarter that the Aloes took control of the game. However, it was not an easy ride as their opponents were very determined.
Aloes coach Desree Neville said she was very excited about the achievement of the team.
“We have set the bar for the season and I hope we will be able to maintain the level throughout the league,” she said. “In the fourth quarter we picked up some momentum and finished with a strong lead at the end.”
Through funding from the Sport Academy at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University they were able to undertake frequent training camps.
“We had one every month leading to the event, something that gave us enough time to prepare. Going forward from here, we will take it on a week-to-week basis, depending on the opposition,” she said.
Captain Nosiphiwo Goda said their aim was to reach the top four in the league. Last year, the team finished in the top seven.
“The team is very strong and fit. We have enough opportunity to prepare,” she said.
Goda said they could have done much better had they capitalised on the opportunities they created. “We missed about four goals that could have made much of a difference to the outcome of the game, but we will go back to the drawing board to see where we can improve on our weaknesses,” she said.
The team’s next match is against Sunbirds of Mpumalanga.
EC Aloes are the real Stars in victory
In their opening game, played at the Durban University of Technology on Friday, the team defeated KwaZulu-Natal’s Kingdom Stars 38-30.
In the first quarter the Eastern Cape Aloes were leading 4-0, but Kingdom Stars fought their way back into the match during the stanza, which they managed to control at some stages.
By the end of the first quarter, Kingdom Stars were leading the contest, after the Eastern Cape Aloes failed to get the ball though to their shooters.
However, the Aloes came back strongly in the second quarter.
This was after they made a few changes to their goal-shooter and defence.
By the end of the second quarter they had managed to draw level with Kingdom Stars, with both teams on 17 points.
It was in the third quarter that the Aloes took control of the game. However, it was not an easy ride as their opponents were very determined.
Aloes coach Desree Neville said she was very excited about the achievement of the team.
“We have set the bar for the season and I hope we will be able to maintain the level throughout the league,” she said. “In the fourth quarter we picked up some momentum and finished with a strong lead at the end.”
Through funding from the Sport Academy at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University they were able to undertake frequent training camps.
“We had one every month leading to the event, something that gave us enough time to prepare. Going forward from here, we will take it on a week-to-week basis, depending on the opposition,” she said.
Captain Nosiphiwo Goda said their aim was to reach the top four in the league. Last year, the team finished in the top seven.
“The team is very strong and fit. We have enough opportunity to prepare,” she said.
Goda said they could have done much better had they capitalised on the opportunities they created. “We missed about four goals that could have made much of a difference to the outcome of the game, but we will go back to the drawing board to see where we can improve on our weaknesses,” she said.
The team’s next match is against Sunbirds of Mpumalanga.
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