‘Gems rewarded for hard work’

Veronica Gwaze
NATIONAL netball coach Lloyd Makunde reckons the hard yards they have been putting in are slowly bearing fruit.

Commenting on the team’s rise on the International Netball Federation (INF) world rankings, from 15 to 13, Makunde said his players were being rewarded for their hard work.

“The girls have been working hard and the rise on rankings is a reward to the effort they have been putting in. I am very much delighted by the continued improvement,” he said.  Makunde added that the rise comes as a morale booster as the gems troop into camp next week in preparation for the African Championships which will also serve as 2019 World Cup qualifiers.

The African championships will see eight countries battling for the right to join the top ranked South Africa and Malawi at next year’s World Cup in England. South Africa and Malawi have automatic entry because of being ranked fifth and sixth respectively. “The rise in rankings has come at a critical time considering that we will soon be commencing camp for our World Cup qualifier to be held in Zambia next month,” said Makunde. “The performance in a game is usually a reflection of what would have been happening in the camp so we are just hoping for a vibrant camp. “Yes we failed to defend our Pent series title in Namibia last month but I remain optimistic of a colourful camp with high spirits this time.

” The national team coach hinted at adding new faces to his squad as he attempts to take the Gems to the World Cup as well as among the top ten netball playing nations. “After the Pent series we identified our weaknesses and have been working on them in a bid to come with a strong squad that will qualify for England.