Blue Eagles yesterday retained the K80 million Salima Sugar National Netball Championship title after beating FirstChoice Tigresses 42-36 in a closely-contested final at the Blantyre Youth Centre (BYC).
The Lilongwe-based Malawi Police Service side had a difficult task to outsmart the resilient Tigresses, who were determined to win their first national title in years.
With a K6 million prize and a glittering trophy waiting for the eventual champions, the two sides engaged in a see-saw affair that saw Eagles narrowly leading 9-8 in the first quarter.
As Eagles’ lofty shooter Nancy Manjawala hardly struggled to score on one end, Tigresses’ towering shooter Tendai Masamba was also comfortable under the loop on the other end. In short, the two sides were inseparable until the dying minutes of the game.
Eagles showed their depth deep in the second stanza as they extended their lead by seven baskets. By half-time break, the Area 30-based cops led 22-15.
Tigresses tried their best to claw back the basket deficit in the third quarter and their efforts paid off when they reduced the gap to three baskets as the segment ended 30-27.
In the last quarter, both sides engaged an extra gear in their pursuit for ultimate glory, but Eagles proved to be the better side, securing a six-basket margin victory by the sound of the final whistle.
Kukoma Diamonds finished third after beating Civonets 48-28 in a third-placed match that was played indoors at the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences Sports Complex following rains that earlier disrupted the games at the BYC.
Runners-up Tigresses took home K4 million while third-placed Diamonds pocketed K3 million.
Civonets walked away with K2 million for finishing fourth.
Salima Sugar doubled thesponsorship package before the start of the second edition.
