Tigresses vow to bounce back
After enduring a trophy-less 2016 season, Tigresses have vowed to bounce back strongly next season.
Tigresses saw their slim chance of defending the Rainbow Paints Southern Region Netball League disappear after losing 49-28 to Kukoma Diamonds at Blantyre Youth Centre on Saturday.
Diamonds have won all national trophies and the regional showpiece to complete a remarkable season, surpassing their sponsor, Capital Oil Refining Industries’ expectations.
Despite the defeat, Tigresses Coach, Peace Chawinga-Kalua, took some positives from the match as youthful players, such as Amewa Chikaonda, impressed during the game.
“We realised before the match that even if we win, our chances of retaining the league were very slim as we had to depend on other teams. So, we did not call up our five senior players. Our aim was to give a chance to youngsters to showcase their skills. I am delighted with how they performed. This gives us hope that we will return strongly next season,” she said.
Kalua also attributed their slump in form towards the end of the second round, to a pro-longed season.
“If you look at Netball Association of Malawi’s calendar, it shows that the season was supposed to end in October. So, from that period, our budget was stretched and we lost form. No wonder, we lost some games which we could not have lost under normal circumstances,” she said.
The former Malawi Queens’ Coach and skipper said Tigresses will fundraise to fulfill their assignments next season.
“We hope the netball calendar will be followed so that our budget should not be disturbed. Otherwise, it becomes expensive to maintain players at the hostel, and also call up our senior players from their bases, especially the Northern Region,” she said.
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