Diamonds snatch Presidential crown from Eagles
The adage ‘ an eye for an eye’ fitted perfectly in a scintillating Presidential Netball Championship final yesterday at Blantyre Youth Centre (BYC) when Kukoma Diamonds beat Blue Eagles Sisters 37-35 to win the title.
This two-basket triumto the Lilongwe-based Malawi Police Service outfit by a similar margin in the previous edition that saw Eagles flying away with a 47-45 win.
Yesterday’s encounter, was a see-saw affair as proved by the respective 6-7, 18-17 and 26-24 outcomes in the first three quarters but a last-minute surge helped Diamonds take the ultimate glory that came along with K4 million and a trophy.
On the court, Diamonds had lofty shooter Alinafe Kamwala and goal attacker Jessica Mazengera-Sanudi planting baskets at will as Mary Banya and Ruth Kaliyenda did the same for the Eagles.
The balanced affair was so tough and intriguing to the point that set of fans were not sure if the game could end in their favour.
“This was a very tough game but we expected it and we were very prepared. It is quite relieving that we have finally snatched the crown from the Eagles,” said Diamonds coach Griffin Saenda.
On her part, Blue Eagles assistant coach Ziwanji Mtunduwatha, whose side received the K2 million runners-up prize, attributed the defeat to frequent loss of centre passes towards the final whistle.
“All the same, we congratulate Diamonds for their victory. Otherwise, our players put up a gallant fight up to the final whistle,” she said.
On their way to the finals, Diamonds beat Civonets 48-30 in the semi-finals while Eagles triumphed 38-36 over Tigresses, who saw off Civonets 37-30 in a third-placed encounter. Tigresses got K1million third prize whereas Civonets received K800 000.
In individual awards, Molly Chisambiro of Blue Eagles was the Best Player of the Tournament while Thunder Queens’ Jessie Kamwendo, Lusungu Muyaba of Mimosa and Beauty Nyangulu of Civonets finished as best shooter, best centre and best defender, respectively. The best umpire accolade went to Titus Wankhama while Times Group’s Ronald Mpaso became the best reporter.
Minister of Labour, Youth, Sports and Manpower Development Grace Chiumia, who graced the occasion, said they are happy with the overall performance of the teams. ph was sweet revenge for the Diamonds, who lost the title
