Khomas Region became the first region to qualify for the netball semi-finals of the ongoing Namibian Newspaper Cup which is currently underway in the Omusati Region.
Khomas beat //Karas 36-07 before accounting for Kavango West 40-08 before they completely overwhelmed Oshikoto 42-15 to effectively seal their spot in the semi-finals.
The previous day they had beaten defending champions and traditional rivals Erongo and Otjozondjupa 28-21 respectively.
Khomas’ runaway train now awaits three teams from the following four; Oshana, Omusati, Erongo and Hardap region to join them in the semi-finals.
Kavango West and Kavango East, Oshikoto, Ohangwena, //Karas, Kunene and Zambezi are effectively knocked out of this year’s competition.
Khomas captain Louise van der Westhuizen told Nampa that they are enjoying the tournament so far, with their main aim being to win the trophy.
“There is a little bit of pressure for us to win the tournament but we are taking it one game at a time. We are now looking forward to the semi-final match,” she said.
In the men’s tournament, Group C participants Erongo are the first team to be officially eliminated after they lost 1-3 to Khomas in the early hours of Saturday.
Erongo leaves the tournament with one point following their one-all draw against Oshana in their three-team group.
The group will be decided later on during the day between Khomas and Oshana as only one team can qualify from Group C.
Group A is also evenly balanced with Zambezi and //Karas in the driving seat with five points apiece after three matches.
In Group B Ohangwena is nervously awaiting the results between Omusati and Hardap Region to see if they can keep their top spot in the group with seven points.
Omusati has four points but will need to win by four clear goals to make it to the next round.
In Group D, Omaheke is effectively out after drawing their two matches, but Kavango East and Oshikoto have a battle on their hands as the match is a winner take.
In the event of a draw, head-to-head will then take effect to determine who goes through.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
