Cape Town erased the heartbreak of last year\u2019s one-goal defeat by edging Tshwane by the same margin to claim the SPAR National Netball Championships title with a 56-55 victory at Stellenberg High School on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Cape Town A hold the winning trophy during the trophy presentation on day 6 of the SPAR National Netball Championships at Stellenberg High School on August 11, 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa. Cape Town captured the title for the first time in ten years beating Tshwane 56-55. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman\/Gallo Images)<\/em><\/p>\n Just like Tshwane\u2019s semi-final against Johannesburg on Monday, the final was a closely fought affair from the start. Cape Town took a one-goal lead into the first break, 13-12 ahead.<\/p>\n But every time the hosts managed to pull ahead, Tshwane hit back, never allowing them to move more than a couple of goals in front. With both sides guilty of unforced errors and soft turnovers, neither could establish any real dominance, and the Pretoria side moved one goal ahead by half-time.<\/p>\n Tshwane kept their noses in front for much of the third quarter, as a solid defensive effort caused Cape Town to squander several opportunities to close the gap. But the hosts finally drew level at 38-all before pulling ahead to take a 40-39 lead into the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n A nerve-wracking final 15 minutes followed with Cape Town just managing to keep their noses in front. With Tshwane on level terms at 55-55, the Cape side had under 20 seconds to score from their centre pass. They held their nerve with the always-smiling former SPAR Proteas player Sigi Burger sinking the final goal to hand her side a thrilling victory.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously there\u2019s a lot of pressure on your hands,\u201d said an elated Burger afterwards. \u201cBut the beauty of being slightly older and more mature is it\u2019s about being able to handle those big moments\u2026 and knowing it\u2019s just another shot,\u201d said the 30-year-old.<\/p>\n Former SPAR Proteas defender and assistant coach of the Cape Town side, Phumza Maweni, was a player in the Western Cape side that last won the tournament in its different format in 2016.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was hard on the bench\u2026 but I trusted the girls. I think the girls took the information and delivered exactly what we wanted them to deliver\u2026 It was good for us to win a final for our crowd. We\u2019ve waited too long and I\u2019m sure our community are very happy with this,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Head coach Freda Kemp added: \u201cWe lost the finals by one [goal] last year and as they say, the table has been set for us \u2013 it\u2019s hometown, home crowd and we really worked hard making sure the players had everything they needed to perform on the highest level so I\u2019m very proud of what they did today.\u201d<\/p>\n Having gone unbeaten to finish top of the log before dethroning four-time defending champions Johannesburg in the semi-finals, Tshwane coach Rozanne Matthyse was delighted with her team\u2019s remarkable progress after they failed to even reach the semi-finals last year.<\/p>\n \u201cThe progression that we made in such a short time\u2026 I’m very proud. It’s for me 10 steps forward. So, I\u2019m looking forward to what’s coming with such a young team, only having three that’s over 30, the rest are all under 25, so we still have a lot to be grateful for\u2026 Although we lost, I’m proud of what they produced today,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The bronze medal in the senior A section was also decided by one goal, with Mangaung defeating Johannesburg 45-44 in their playoff match.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, having cruised through the week unbeaten in the under-21 A section, Johannesburg continued their sensational form to claim a comfortable 52-38 victory over neighbours Tshwane in the final. They were already 27-20 up by half-time and doubled that lead to 14 goals by the final whistle. That saw coach Bongi Msomi\u2019s team lift the trophy for a third consecutive year.<\/p>\n Speaking about her journey with the team, which she took over in 2024 after they hadn\u2019t won a match the previous year, the former SPAR Proteas captain reflected: \u201cThe first year we got gold, I really didn’t expect it, but it made us realise that we are on the right path. Then coming into the second year was slightly easier. I think this year, if I can put it out there, it was quite tough, because you know you’re coming back a second time as a champion, everyone is going to come for you,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I’m incredibly proud of the girls and how they\u2019ve received me, firstly myself as a leader, but as a coach as well. So, it’s all their work. You can be good as a coach, but if the players are not receiving it well, results are not going to come\u2026 And we’ve been the lucky ones to receive a group that just clicks and wants to go.”<\/p>\n Mangaung defeated Royal Bafokeng 49-40 to claim the bronze medal in the under-21 tournament.<\/p>\n Ends.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Results<\/strong><\/p>\n Senior A section<\/strong><\/p>\n Final:<\/strong>\u00a0Cape Town 56 \u2013 55 Tshwane<\/p>\n 3rd<\/sup>\u00a0place playoff:<\/strong>\u00a0Mangaung 45 \u2013 44 Johannesburg<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Best shooter: Ine-Mari Venter (Tshwane)<\/p>\n Best mid-court player: Sanelisiwe Ntobela (Johannesburg)<\/p>\n Best defender: Asemahle Dyidi (Cape Town)<\/p>\n Player of the tournament: Luca Keun (Tshwane)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Under-21 A section<\/strong><\/p>\n Final:\u00a0<\/strong>Johannesburg 52 \u2013 38 Tshwane<\/p>\n 3rd<\/sup>\u00a0place playoff:<\/strong>\u00a0Mangaung 49 \u2013 40 Royal Bafokeng<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Best shooter: Shilo Baradelli (Johannesburg)<\/p>\n Best mid-court player: Naledi Mokoa (Tshwane)<\/p>\n Best defender: Kimberley Amiras (Tshwane)<\/p>\n Player of the tournament: Boitumelo Mokoena (Johannesburg)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"