Confidence boosting win for Desert Jewels

The Desert Jewels, Namibia’s national women’s netball team, kicked off their Africa Netball Cup 2024 campaign with a 58 - 47 victory over Eswatini at the MTC Dome in Swakopmund.Namibia, ranked 19th, drew first blood in the intense and fast-paced game, which had a good flow to it. Eswatini, ranked 41st, however, set the pace in what developed into a neck-to-neck race and clinched the first quarter 13 -12.The Desert Jewels returned with determination and raced into a 21 - 15 lead after five minutes into the second quarter. Desert Jewel's captain and goal attacker Anna Kaspar combined well with the goal shooter Louise 'Dreamy' Kauhesua, ensuring that Namibia finished the second quarter on the front foot with the score 31-23.Namibia opened an 11-point lead and clinched the third quarter 46 - 35. Kaspar took over the Goal Shooter duty in the fourth quarter, with seven minutes remaining in the game.Eswatini tried their level best to get back into the game. Namibia managed to frustrate their opponents and maintained a 10-point lead. The Desert Jewels eventually increased the gap to 14 points (56-42) with four minutes of playtime left and finished the match with a 58 - 47 score in their favour.Desert Jewels captain Anna Kasper said she was proud of the team and thanked the supporters for turning up in numbers. “We did not start at the pace that fans wanted or the coaching staff expected from us. But then we picked up the pace and took control until the end. We prepared properly for this tournament and going forward I expect all of us to settle and stick to the game plan.” South Africa defeated the Namibian Male Netball team 67- 38 in their opening game. On day two, Zambia defeated the Namibians with 50 - 48 in a closely contested encounter. The Desert Jewels will take on Uganda (18:00) on 11 December and Zimbabwe (18:00) on 12 December. The Namibian Male Netball team also played Eswatini on 10 December (16:00)ad will face Zimbabwe (18:00) on 11 December and Lesotho (18:00) on 12 December.

Confidence boosting win for Desert Jewels

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-09

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Confidence boosting win for Desert Jewels

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-09

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