adminEllina Mhlanga
Senior Sports Reporter
ZDF Queens coach Joel Sibanda is pleased with his side after beating rivals Ngezi Platinum Queens in one of the three matches they played over the weekend in the Premier Netball League.
They beat Ngezi 31-28 in a closely-contested match in Chisumbanje over the weekend. They also dismissed BB Stars 56-9 and Mutare City 45-17.
For Sibanda it was the game against Ngezi that was outstanding for him.
“The weekend’s games were okay. We were happy we won all the games but it was not easy, especially against Ngezi Platinum. We lost to them in the first round of the season in the absence of Sharon Bwanali who was injured.
“The weekend’s game was a tight game. It was closely-contested, we led the first quarter by just two scores and they led by two scores in the second quarter, so we went into the half-time break tied on the scores.
“But in the third quarter we took the lead again and by the last quarter we had gained our rhythm. But it was a close contest. We thank God we managed to win all the games,” said Sibanda.
ZDF are second on the log table behind defending champions Platinum Queens with 50 points from 27 games.
The ZDF coach said they have had a better season this year compared to last year when they missed a number of their key players on national duty during the crucial stage of the league.
They were placed third overall by the end of the season.
However, he is concerned about the level of competition as some of the teams are struggling to catch up in terms of the quality of play.
PNL was launched last year and this is their second season.
“The season has been okay, everything is great. But my concern is if we want to grow the game, if you look at it, sometimes the teams we play they are not recommended to be on that league. Their level of play is still not up to the standard expected in the league.
“Some of the teams should be playing in lower divisions. It’s not that I don’t want them to play in the league but it’s the level of those teams that I am concerned about. We also started playing from the lower divisions and we rose through the ranks,” said Sibanda.
With just a few games left before the end of the season, Sibanda said they cannot afford to lose the remaining games as they seek to finish among the top teams in the league.
“We are hoping to win the remaining games. We can’t afford to lose a game right now. We have almost five games left,” said Sibanda.
Among the teams they will face are Rhinos, Harare City and Green Fuel; and Sibanda said they have to be at their best since they are tricky sides.
Results
Green Fuel 32, Ngezi 27; BB Stars 9, ZDF 56; ZDF 31, Ngezi 28; Green Fuel 45, Mutare City 15; Mutare City 17, ZDF 45; BB Stars 8, Ngezi 40; Green Fuel 53, BB Stars 7; Mutare City 30, BB Stars 17; FilChrist Boarding 16, Harare City 53; Rhinos 23, FilChrist Ladies 16; UZ 25, Blue Angels 26; Zupco 19, Blue Angels 32; Platinum 38, FilChrist Ladies 12; Blue Angels 11, Harare City 56; FilChrist Boarding 25, UZ 20; Marondera 4, Platinum 77; Rhinos 54, Zupco 10; FilChrist Ladies 27, FilChrist Boarding 15; UZ 4, Platinum 65; Harare City 40, Waterfalls 16; FilChrist Boarding 7, Platinum 51; UZ 33, Marondera 36; Rhinos 63, Marondera18; Harare City 51, Zupco 8.
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