Tshina Mdau shines as Proteas win big
If there’s anyone who deserves the spotlight to shine in Netball, it’s Fireballs Wing Attack Tshina Mdau, who had a maiden bow for the Spar Proteas, capping if off whit the Most Valuable Player accolade as the Proteas thrashed the Malawi Queens 65-25.
The Proteas began the encounter with intent, putting the visitors on the back foot from the start. The match was well over by halftime, the hosts were 31-9 ahead, giving the Queens little opportunities to get the scoreboard ticking, thanks to the excellent defending of the world-class Phumza Maweni and Shadine van der Merwe.
Coach Dorette Badenhorst made wholesale changes in the third quarter, bringing on most of her bench. Tshina Mdau made her debut for the national team at wing attack and was outstanding, earning the Most Valued Player award. Malawi had a slightly better quarter, scoring seven goals but the SPAR Proteas responded with 17.
In the final quarter, Badenhorst brought on another debutant, 18-year old Kamogelo Maseko, at goal attack. Maseko, who is only just out of school, promises to be a player to watch in the future.
It was Malawi’s best quarter, with nine goals to 17 for the SPAR Proteas.
Mdau said she was surprised to have been named Most Valued Player after coming on in the second half of her debut match, as she was ecstatic and short of words in her post-match comments.
“It feels so great, playing with such an amazing team, what does one want more. This one is for my team; I can’t even take credit for it. Having a great team and support system makes life easier.”
Coach Badenhorst was modest in her team’s performance assessment.
“It was a great start. We did very well in the first quarter and that allowed me to play my whole squad. A coach can only be happy when she had that depth of talent to work with. It’s always tough to play Malawi. The players worked hard for every interception,” said Badenhorst.
The second Test will be played at the Superbowl at 7 pm on Friday, with the third being played at 1 pm on Sunday.
The matches will be televised live on Supersport Variety 4.
