Chronicle Editor
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sport Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Gems netball squad goes into their final training camp on Monday as they fine tune for their maiden Vitality Netball World Cup appearance in Liverpool, England next month.
The team took a short break from camp after their recent trip to South Africa where they played two friendly games as part of their fine tuning for the United Kingdom trip where they will be in Group A alongside defending champions and netball powerhouse Australia, Northern Ireland as well as Sri Lanka.
“Its back to camp on Monday,” coach Lloyd Makunde said.
“This will be our final training camp before leaving for England for the tournament. We shall be announcing our 12 players once we resume camp but all the 20 girls that are in camp will be travelling to England,” said Makunde.
The Zimbabwe Gems have been busy with their preparations as they hope to leave a lasting legacy on their maiden appearance at the World Cup.
Besides the trip to South Africa, they also went to Uganda, another World Cup bound side, where they played four games which coach Makunde and captain Perpetual Siyachitema expressed satisfaction with as it gave the squad a perfect opportunity to see some of the key areas that they have to work on.
Upon their return from South Africa, skipper Siyachitema said there was need for the girls to work on their physical fitness.
“We need to be extra fit by going to the gym because all our opponents are physically fit,” said Siyachitema.
She said her side was also disadvantaged by height as most of their opponents are very tall.
“We have a height challenge, our defenders are short compared to our opponents so we need to work extra hard in our defence,” said Siyachitema.
Online Reporter