Netballers head for Boksburg

More than 150 netball teams from schools around the country will be meeting at Hoerskool Dr EG Jansen in Boksburg this weekend for the Festival Challenge tournament.

The tournament is the culmination of a whole season’s competition. The teams that have qualified for the Festival Challenge have gone through an arduous programme, starting with circuit leagues, and then going on to district, regional, and provincial competitions before qualifying for the national Challenge tournament.

Nine provinces, represented by 164 teams ranging from Under-12 to Under-18, will be taking part in the action-packed weekend, which will see 52 rounds of matches.┬á Play gets under way at eight o’clock in the morning, and will continue until about 8pm on Friday and Saturday, with the finals being played before noon on Sunday.

There is a special incentive for the teams in the Under-16 section, as the two top teams will be given the opportunity to play in an international schools netball tournament in Singapore against teams from countries like Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Brunei.  Last year, a South African team finished second in the tournament.

The country’s national women’s team will be playing in the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India later this year.