Malawi Queens date Uganda’s She Cranes this afternoon in a potentially-explosive Africa Netball Cup semi-final after thumping Tanzania 55-34 in their last Pool 1 match yesterday at Griffin Saenda Sports Complex in Lilongwe.
But the going was tough for the Malawi Kings as they missed the semi-final ticket after going down 35-39 to Kenya in their last pool fixture and they will play against Botswana at 5pm for the fifth/sixth place playoff.
For Netball World’s eighth-ranked Queens, yesterday was their day as they put up a dominant display against unranked Tanzanians with the shooting duo of Joyce Mvula and Florence Jeke scoring at will.
With unwavering support from the home fans, the Malawi Netball Team roared to an impressive 17-5 first-quarter lead before increasing the tally to 28- 14 by half-time break.
They led 42-24 in the third stanza with Mvula’s replacement, Stella Matellezi, being the tormentor in-chief before securing a 21-basket victory.
Although Tanzania tried their best to resist the pressure with their shooter Ruth Mwale hardly missing the target, Malawi Queens proved to be unstoppable to finish second in their pool with four points from three games.
However, the Queens have to beat sixth-ranked Uganda’s She Cranes in the semis at 3pm this afternoon to convince Malawians that they are a strong side capable of fighting for the continental title, which they last won in 2012.
The Queens have been struggling against Uganda for the last decade, as they have only won thrice in 11 meetings. Malawi last beat Uganda in February this year when they triumphed them 59-45 in the 2025 Vitality Netball Nations Cup in England.
South Africa’s Spar Proteas topped Pool 1 with six points from three straight wins and they will face Pool 2 second-placed team, Zimbabwe, in their last-four match this afternoon at 1 pm.
The tournament is being played without defending champions, Zambia, who pulled out in the 11th hour due to financial problems.
Men’s category semi-finals will see South Africa taking on Kenya at 9am today before a clash between Eswatini and Zimbabwe at 11am.
