Malawi Queens are through to the Africa Netball Championship semi-finals following a commanding 60-30 victory over Kenya in their last Group A fixture at MTC Dome in Swakopmund, Namibia yesterday.
They have finished second in their group with four points to set up a semi-final clash this afternoon against in-form Group B winners Zimbabwe who beat E-swatini 78-27 yesterday.
South Africa, who thrashed Zambia 71-48 yesterday to win Group A with six points from three wins, face Group B runners-up Uganda in the other last-four match.
Yesterday, the Queens made a dream start as they led 19-5 in the first quarter before increasing the tally to 33-18, 46-23 and 60-30 in the subsequent segments.
Lofty shooter Tendai Masamba and goal-attacker Ethel Ng’ambi combined well in the shooting circle, planting in one basket after another at will.
However, they were a bit slow in completing their tasks and were frequently misplacing passes after being well-fed by centre Takondwa Lwazi-Chiwaya and wing attacker Thandi Galeta, whose vast experience helped to deflate the Kenyans.
Experienced defenders team captain Towera Vinkhumbo-Nyirenda, Martha Dambo and Grace Mwafulirwa-Mhango were also up to the task of thwarting the opponents’ attacks.
However, the 30-basket difference appears not good enough for the seventh-ranked Queens considering that they were facing minnows, ranked 26th.
Vinkhumbo-Nyirenda said: “We are happy that we have qualified for the semis. However, we were fond of misplacing passes and conceding turnovers.
“We will go to the drawing board to correct the negatives we made today as we prepare for the semi-final tomorrow [today].”
