Mwawi sparkles again, Mvula’s side triumphs
Malawian netball sensation Mwawi Kumwenda made headlines in Australia on Saturday when her exceptional display of netball skills earned her the second most valuable player (MVP) accolade within seven days.
She had a perfect game under the loops as she top-scored for Melbourne Vixens with 40 baskets at 100 percent accuracy to help her side secure a 70-59 triumph over Sunshine Coast Lightning at the Margaret Court Arena and take the driving seat in the Suncorp Super Netball Championship.
This comes barely a week after the Malawi Queens star put up another most valuable player (MVP) performance in the foreign league.
Vixens, who have now won a seventh successive match, are at the summit of the eight-team league with 17 points from 10 games while Giants Netball and Lightning are second and third on the ladder with 16 and 15 points, respectively, from the same number of games.
“Kumwenda finished with a perfect 40 from 40 shooting record as her partner Tegan Philip nailed 30 of 33 to continue a collaboration without peer in their first season together,” reported The Sydney Morning Herald.
The online media outlet stated that Kumwenda is the wildcard; her tricks, flair and elevation provide an air of athletic unpredictability that even the likes of (former Vixens shooter Geva) Mentor struggle to stop.
Vixens coach Simone McKinnis also waxed lyrical about Mwawi’s performance saying she has brought fierce competitiveness to the team: “She [Mwawi] gets so nervous before a game and I am just ‘oh, MJ [Mwawi Jasinta], you are just brilliant’. She is just naturally so competitive. She loves the team, we all love her and it is just been really special having her in the group.”
Another Malawi netball export Joyce Mvula also had a wonderful weekend as her English club Manchester Thunder saw off Celtic Dragons with a slender 55-53 victory in Cardiff
According to www.manchesterthunder.com, although she did not feature in the entire match, her exploits were enough to help Thunder cement the third slot in the Victorian Netball League, where they have 27 points from 12 games. Loughborough Lightning leads the eight-team pack with 33 points from the same number of games. n
