Latest news with #FreeStateCrinums
IOL News
29-04-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Crinums tame Jaguars in repeat of last year's Telkom Netball League final
Reratilwe Letsoalo of the Free State Crinums was in fine fettle during the opening weekend of the Telkom Netball League this past weekend. Photo: Backpageix Image: Backpageix Defending Telkom Netball League (TNL) champions the Free State Crinums outclassed traditional rivals the Gauteng Jaguars at the Sun City Superbowl in a repeat of last season's final. The comprehensive 59-37 victory was a third dominant win in the first round of the tournament in Rustenburg, North West, for the defending champs. None of their rivals have been able to live with their intensity and execution on court, and it was no different against the Jaguars. The Crinums put their foot on the pedal from the first centre pass and refused to let up. They were firmly in control, leading 46-25 by the end of the third quarter. They refused to rest on the lead, the 22-point margin was by no means flattering. As is usually the case, skipper Refiloe Nketsa, the Proteas star, was at the heart of all that was good about the Crinums' play at centre. In fact, they outplayed the Jaguars in all areas of the court. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Crinums goalkeeper Reratilwe Letsoala (centre) was named Player of the Match for her dominant defensive performance against the Jaguars. Image: Netball South Africa Goalkeeper Reratilwe Letsoalo was immense on the defensive end, refusing to give the opposition attackers an inch in the circle. She was named Player of the Match for her outstanding play that included crucial steals and intercepts. "I think we put our foot on the pedal from the first centre pass to the last one. And we told ourselves even if we get ahead, not to get comfortable, but we play until the last whistle," she said in a post-match interview. "I think that mindset of going until the last whistle is what carried us through the match." Crinums coach Martha Mosoahle-Samm said: "I'm so proud of my team. "We played consistently and stuck to our game plan. Being defending champions is a privilege, not a pressure. Every team wants to be the best against us, and that's exciting." The Free State Crinums were on the mark at both ends of the court 🔥 They played at a high level as they won 59-38 against the Gauteng Jaguars.#TNL2025 | #HereForHer — SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) April 28, 2025 Jaguars coach Rozanne Matthyse admitted it was a difficult game for her team. They were strangely disjointed, struggling to string together passages of play and to execute. The champions' mid-court dominance also played a huge part in this. The result left the giants searching for their first win of TNL 2025 after they lost their opener against the high-riding Flames. "I'm confident in my team; we know how to bounce back," Mathysse said. "We've been in tough situations before, like in 2023 when we came back strong after losing crucial games. We still have work to do; we're not at our best, making silly mistakes and not playing solid netball." To their credit, the Jaguars did show that ability to bounce back in their next game, against the SA Under-21 team on Tuesday morning. Their earlier failings were on display as they fell behind early in the match. But they managed to click in the third quarter and eventually secured a 55-51 win over the Baby Proteas. 🛠️ The #SPARBabyProteas are gelling, building rhythm, and finding the right combinations as they sharpen their game for the Netball World Youth Cup! 🇿🇦🔥 A strong comeback from the Jaguars! 👏#TNLJaguarsSAU21 #TelkomNL #TNLisBack #TelkomStandTall #WeAreAllIn @TelkomZA — Netball South Africa (@Netball_SA) April 29, 2025
IOL News
27-04-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Crinums start Telkom Netball League title defence with back-to-back wins
Free State Crinums started the defence of their TNL title with a 58-46 win over the Spar Baby Proteas (in white) at the Sun City Superbowl on Saturday. Image: Netball South Africa Free State Crinums laid down an early marker in the defence of their Telkom Netball League (TNL) title with back-to-back wins as the 2025 season tipped off at Sun City Super Bowl in the North West Province at the weekend. They powered past the Limpopo Baobabs with a 68-34 win on Sunday, after seeing off the Spar Baby Proteas 58-46 in Saturday's opening match. Crinums skipper and Proteas star Refiloe Nketsa has led the charge for the defending champions. Home team the North West Flames also got their campaign off to the perfect start. They stunned the Jaguars, last year's beaten finalists, 60-57 in a nail-biting opening match for the Gauteng giants on Sunday. Goal attack Sunel Smit was named Player of the Match for her fine shooting display as the teams matched each other shot for shot. The Crinums showed their intent to defend their title from the first tipoff and were clinical in execution on attack and in defence against the junior national team on Saturday. They pulled away after a competitive first half to secure a comfortable victory. Crinums coach Martha Mosoahle-Samm said: 'I think it was a good game considering that this game was against the Spar Baby Proteas. They were busy working hard, having lots of camps and we can't go there undermining them.' Meanwhile, the Baby Proteas made a promising start to a tournament they are using as preparation for the Netball World Youth Cup later this year. The Flames had opened their account against the Zambezi Eagles from Zimbabwe, securing a hard-fought 51-46 win on Saturday. Despite the Eagles' relentless efforts, the Flames held their nerve in the dying minutes to clinch the victory.
