Blue Eagles Sisters vow to defend PIS netball
Blue Eagles Sisters have vowed to defend Presidential Initiative on Sports (PIS) Netball Championship title that threw off yesterday at the Blantyre Youth Centre (BYC).
Eagles beat Kukoma Diamonds 47-45 in the final in December 2017 to finally taste their first national netball glory and their coach Sam Kanyenda said yesterday they cannot afford to lose the crown to any other team.
“We have come to Blantyre not as tourists but as defending champions who are determined to keep the title in our mantelpiece. We know other teams such as Diamonds and Tigresses will come hard on us but we will stand firm,” he said.
On the other hand, Diamonds’ assistant coach Noel Mussa said his side is also on a campaign to relive the PIS glory, whose rights they lost with the defeat by Eagles in 2017.
Meanwhile, a draw for the three-day event, which will see eventual champions receiving K4 million first prize, was conducted at the BYC on Wednesday evening when the teams were slotted into four groups of three teams each.
Eagles were placed in Group A alongside fellow Central Region outfits Mafco Soldiers and Boma Stars while Group B has Southern Region giants Kukoma Diamonds and Prison Sisters plus North’s Lameck Queens. Group C has South’s Thunder Queens and Serenity Stars plus Centre’s Civonets, while Group D comprises Tigresses from the South and North’s Mimosa Queens and Mzuzu Queens.
Yesterday, the games were interrupted by a heavy downpour that made the uncovered BYC court unplayable for a moment. n
