Veterans want a tussle with Malawi Queens

Veteran netball players have asked the Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) to arrange a friendly match against Malawi Queens to strengthen the current youthful squad with more skills.

Speaking on behalf of the veterans during the Ladies Night Party which Friends of Malawi Netball organised at the College of Medicine (CoM) Sports Complex in Blantyre on Friday, retired netball legend Peace Chawinga-Kalua said the youthful Queens’ bolts and nuts need to be tightened.

“It was quite impressive to note that at the recent Fast5 Netball Series in Auckland, New Zealand, the youthful Queens managed to beat world’s number one team Australia and fourth-placed England for the first time.

“However, they need to further polish their skills so that one day, Malawi can improve on rankings. This is where our request for a friendly game with them is coming in,” she said as her fellow veterans applauded in agreement.

Chawinga-Kalua, who was in the national team for 22 years without being on the bench, suggested that such a friendly game should be conducted on a public holiday such as the Independence Day Celebrations on 6 July.

NAM president Rosy Chinunda said they would consider the request at their executive meeting soon.

The Ladies Night Gala, which attracted support from a number of influential women in the country, was aimed at honouring Queens for beating Australia twice (33-15 and 33-30) and England 27-23 at the Fast5 event, although they failed to improve on their position five in the world.