The cream of the crop of Eastern Cape high school netball players excelled at the recent Telkom National Championship, held at EG Jansen High in Johannesburg.
The annual U18 tournament was organised by South African Schools Netball in collaboration with Netball SA.
The tournament, in which teams from all nine provinces participate, is an annual event.
Eastern Cape team coach Yolandi Stone said she was extremely proud of the girls.
“These ladies were resilient and they remained unified throughout the tournament,” Stone said.
“The Iqhude netball team [as we are called] made history, because it was for the first time in the history of the tournament that we had a podium finish.
“We took the bronze medal, and we are over the moon with that achievement.
“The team from the Western Cape, called Oaks, walked away with the honours, while their sister team, Willows, took the silver medal.
“We won eight out of our 10 games. For that I take off my hat to the girls.
“It was a huge honour coaching this team.
“We made our mark as a force to be reckoned with.
“Things are looking up for the sport in the Eastern Cape, and it can only move further from here.
“Unfortunately, we lost to the eventual tournament winners, Oaks, in the semifinal. We went down 39-52,” Stone said.
“During the pool games we lost only to Gamma of Gauteng, going down 27-31.
“We faced them once again in the playoff for third place, but this time around we were ready for them and won 35 -27 to take the bronze medal.
“We were ecstatic. It was such a great feeling and moment.
“What stood out was that three of our players were named in the top 35 performers at the tournament.
“They were Sheila Stalmeester of Framesby High, Amyoli Mgibe of Stirling High and Lukho Soga of Queen’s Girls’ High.
“I can boldly say that all of these girls can one day claim a place in the senior SA team.
“There is just so much talent and even the players who did not make the team must not give up.
“They must persevere and keep on knocking for higher recognition.”
Stone acknowledged the huge contribution of team manager Erica Niemand and assistant coach Ernelda Plaatjies and thanked the parents who attended the competition.
The Herald