Malawi Queens and Kings have described First Vice-President (VP) Jane Ansah’s visit on Wednesday as a morale booster ahead of today’s Africa Netball Cup last pool matches that will determine semi-final qualification.
Today, the Queens must beat Tanzania in Pool 1 fixture starting at 6pm at Griffin Saenda Sports Complex in Lilongwe while the Kings have to outsmart Kenya in Men’s Pool 2 match at 2pm.
Ansah’s visit came after the Queens lost 38-58 to South Africa in their second pool match whereas the Kings went down 42-44 to Eswatini.
The VP came to encourage the Queens and Kings to make Malawi proud as they host the continental tournament.
Ansah expressed strong confidence in the teams’ ability to perform at the highest level and reaffirmed her commitment to continued support throughout the tournament.
She further urged the teams “to remain focused and be resilient while giving your best performance in the final pool matches this Friday.”
Queens coach Peace Chawinga-Kaluwa said having the whole Vice-President visiting the team, despite her busy schedule, was a big motivation ahead of today’s showdown.
“The VP’s visit means a lot to the team. It was inspiring to note that she took time to come when our spirits were down with the loss we encountered. Her visit and encouragement have lifted our spirits and this will, definitely, help us do well,” she said.
She said her charges know that today’s match is a must win to qualify and they have left no stone unturned in their tune-ups.
Chawinga-Kaluwa said although eighth-ranked Queens are facing an unranked Tanzanian team, they will not let complacency take a toll on their performance.
“We really need to focus for us to get the win. We have seen how Tanzania played against Botswana. It’s a team that has improved a lot,” she said.
On his part, Malawi Kings coach Garvey Nyondo said they cannot afford to lose another match and they are geared to see offKenya to advance to the semi-finals.
Before press time yesterday, Malawi Queens were third in their four-team pool on inferior basket difference following a tie on two points with Botswana, who beat Tanzania 55-35 yesterday. South Africa are on top with four points from two-straight wins.
In the men’s section, the Kings were second on better aggregate in a three-team pool 2. Both do not have a point. Eswatini lead the pack with four points after winning their two games so far.
