| Taifa Queens rout clueless Lesotho 50-25 | Send to a friend |
| Monday, 06 September 2010 21:45 |
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New Taifa Queens head coach Simone McKinnis faces baptism of fire today as she guides the team against Zimbabwe in the Africa Netball Confederation Championship. The match, which will take place in Pretoria, South Africa, is billed to be competitive given preparations of both sides. Taifa Queens, who jetted off to Pretoria with a contingent of 12 players on Sunday, will be hard pressed to secure one of the two tickets left for the 2011 World Cup. The Australian coach took over as the head coach barely four days before heading off to South Africa, but she was confident of her team’s chances of cruising to the World Cup finals. The Queens, who are rated 21st in the latest IFNA rankings, will compete in the Singapore finals for the first time should they impress in the tournament. “I’ve been with the team for a short time, but from the look of things, I expect them to win many games and eventually qualify for the finals,” she said. According to her, the Queens would put their opponents under pressure and utilise all scoring opportunities. The team relies on Mwanaidi Hassan to rattle Zimbabwe’s defence and notch goals. Mwanaidi has been outstanding for her army-owned club, JKT, and managed to endear herself to fans during training. Netball was among the top sporting events in the country in the 1980s, but owing to financial constraints and poor management, the sport lost its prominence. However, in recent years, the governing body, Chaneta, has been striving to restore the status and their efforts are now paying off. The Pretoria tournament features eight countries that are; Lesotho, Botswana, Uganda, Namibia, Tanzania, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Taifa Queens are in Group A together with Zimbabwe, South Africa and Lesotho. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
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