MBABANE – Defending champions Royal Flames experienced mixed fortunes as they began their title defence at the Council of Southern Africa Netball Association (COSANA) Club Championships today, Friday, July 17.
The Eswatini side opened their campaign with a 44-55 defeat to Zambia’s NAPSA Netball Club in a Group B fixture. However, they bounced back strongly later in the day, thrashing Kitwe Rifles 62-33.
Tomorrow morning at 9:30am, the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) side will face Zimbabwe’s Makate High-Flyers. Makate delivered a dominant performance today, crushing Lesotho Police Training College 82-12.
On Saturday afternoon, the Wandile Sithole-coached side will also feature in a regional police and security forces derby against Lesotho Police College, who look to be the underdogs of Group B this weekend.
The second edition of the club championships is being played in a round-robin format, with clubs from Zimbabwe, Eswatini, Lesotho, Zambia and Namibia battling for regional honours.
According to ZBN News, the tournament also serves as vital preparation for players ahead of the Africa Cup in Kenya, which doubles as a qualifier for the Netball World Cup.
COSANA President Leticia Chipandu, speaking at the grand opening ceremony on Thursday, emphasised the importance of the competition.
“This competition has come at the right time because these are the players who will represent their countries at the Africa Cup,” she said. “They are using this tournament to sharpen their skills as we seek to maintain our dominance at the Africa Cup and qualify more teams for the World Cup.”
