By Llywellenie Mpasa:
The Malawi Under-21 National Netball Team, the junior Queens, ended their campaign at the 2025 Netball World Youth Cup in Gibraltar on position seven.
In a position seven and eight playoff, the junior Queens defeated Cook Islands 61-54, emulating their 2009 feat.
The victory, which secured Malawi seventh place in the prestigious tournament, was built on consistent performance throughout the match.
Malawi dominated the first quarter, taking a 15-12 lead, before both teams battled evenly in the second quarter, with the score tied at 28-28 at halftime.
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In the third quarter, Malawi pulled ahead with a 47-39 advantage, which proved decisive as they maintained their momentum to close out the match in style.
Malawi’s journey in the tournament was marked by moments of brilliance and determination.
The junior Queens opened their campaign with a dominant 65-29 win over Trinidad and Tobago.
They narrowly edged Fiji 52-51, followed by a tough 36-67 loss to South Africa.
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Malawi bounced back strongly in a classification match, beating the Cook Islands 70-23, before securing seventh place with the final 61-54 victory over the same opponents.
This year’s tournament, which was held from September 19 to 28, 2025, featured 20 teams from Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and Oceania.
Matches were staged at the Tercentenary Sports Hall and Europa Sports Park, creating an electric atmosphere.
