Malawi Queens goalkeeper Towera Vinkhumbo-Nyirenda on Sunday kept her excellent defensive form to inspire Strathclyde Sirens to victory in the United Kingdom’s (UK) Vitality Netball Superleague.
However, the going continues to get tough for shooter Mwawi Kumwenda as her Australian team Melbourne Vixens suffered a sixth defeat in seven Suncorp Super Netball fixtures on Saturday night.
In the UK, Vinkhumbo Nyirenda topped the defence chart with nine penalties, six turnovers, five intercepts and three deflections as Sirens beat Celtic Dragons 53-34, according to the statistics table on the league’s website www.netballsl.com.
Her superb performance did not only put her at the summit of the top-flight league’s lists of defenders with most intercepts (59) and most turnovers (90), but also helped Sirens to move a place up to fourth on the 11-team log-table with 32 points from 19 outings.
Team Bath leads the pack with 51 points while Queens’ shooter Joyce Mvula’s team Manchester Thunder lies third on 45 points.
In an interview yesterday, Vinkhumbo Nyirenda said: “It feels good to be on the winning end. I am super proud of my teammates for the relentless effort they put in this match. I am happy for the three points we have collected.”
As for Kumwenda, her excellent performance that saw her slotting in 28 of her 32 shots, including a super shot, could not save Vixens from a sixth defeat.
The Suncorp Super Netball defending champions are at the bottom of the eight-team log-table on four points. Sunshine Coast Lightning are in the driving seat with 20 points from seven matches.
Kumwenda, who won the elite league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) accolade last year, yesterday attributed her team’s dip in form to the departure of some key players.
“This season we lost wing attacker who I believe is the best player in the world. We also lost two great players—a goal attacker and a shooter—who retired at the end of last season,” she said.
“We hope the team will catch up in the upcoming games. We will do our best to defend the championship, that is why we are still fighting each game.”
According to The Sydney Morning Herald match report, the withdrawal of defender Emily Mannix due to repeating soreness in her right hand after a training session earlier on Saturday, compounded Vixens’ misery.
