The Laeveld Suburb of Khomasdal will be the centre of attraction on Friday when Khomasdal rivals, Ella du Plessis and Augustineum High School take each other on in an FNB Netball Classic Clashes match.
The main Under 19 netball match is scheduled to start at 11h00 at the Augustineum Sport Grounds and Augustineum, the oldest school in the country, would like to settle the score with Ella du Plessis, who beat them in last year’s inaugural match.
The FNB Netball Classic Clashes teams of Ella and Augustineum are both highly motivated as the respective principals Seth Januarie and Beatrice Losper confirmed. “We are the champions and we will confirm this on Friday when we will beat Augustineum in their own backyard. My team boasts with a lethal and deadly centre, Unotjari Tjejanba and she was instrumental in destroying the defense of Augustineum in the inaugural FNB Netball Classic Clashes match last year,” Ella du Plessis’ principal, Seth January said.
Responding to January’s claims, Augustineum’s principal, Beatrice Losper said that Ella du Plessis was in for a big surprise. “We know the style and game plan of Ella’s U19 netball team. They play a fast game and we have worked hard at training to slow down the pace of their game. We have focused a lot on excellent ball distribution and perfect passes which we will use with first attempt shoots,” Losper said.
Cassius Moetie, FNB’s Manager for Corporate Communications said that Losper was highly experienced in netball. “She played competitive netball for two highly successful netball clubs, Black Africa and Western Suburbs, later called Villagers. She also played for the former South West Africa team in the previous dispensation as well as for the Namibian national netball team in 1993 against Malawi in Maseru. Losper later assumed the coaching role for Black Africa’s netball team and went on to win the league title for three years in a row,” he said.
The activities for the day will start at 09H00 with drum majorettes and other exciting initiatives while the schools will also field their junior rugby and soccer teams.
Netball is one sport code in Namibia that has been plagued by a number of controversies which made it extremely difficult for the fine sport to attract funding from local businesses. “We hope the FNB Netball Classic Clashes will continue to develop young netball players at school level which will carry them through and transform them into national players representing Namibia at international netball tournaments,” Moetie stated.
Joan Smit, Africa’s Regional Development Manager for the International Netball Federation will also attend the match to see the potential and growth of Namibia’s young netball talent and skills.
“We, at FNB, would like to wish all the sportsmen and women involved with the FNB Netball Classic Clashes the very best of luck and may sportsmanship be the winner on the day”, Moetie concluded.
Meanwhile, West Side High and Kolen Foundation will also lock horns in the FNB Soccer Classic Clashes match at the Tamariskia Sport Field in Swakopmund on Saturday afternoon, while the FNB Rugby Classic Clash match between Swakopmund Secondary School and Namib High School is taking place at the Vineta Sport Fields on Saturday afternoon.