Cape Town turned last year’s heartbreak into redemption in the most dramatic fashion, edging unbeaten Tshwane 56-55 to claim the Spar National Netball Championships title in front of their home crowd at Stellenberg High School on Tuesday.
The similarities with last year’s final were striking. Cape Town had lost to Johannesburg by a single goal in the 2025 decider, after an unblemished run to the final. Tshwane also arrived at this year’s final unbeaten after finishing top of the senior A-division standings and then knocking four-time defending champions Johannesburg out in Monday’s semi-final.
But this time it was Cape Town who held their nerve in another one-goal thriller.
The hosts led 13-12 after the opening quarter before Tshwane edged ahead by half-time. The Pretoria side remained in front for much of the third quarter, but Cape Town fought back to level at 38-all before taking a slender 40-39 lead into the final 15 minutes.Neither side could break clear in a tense finish, with Tshwane eventually drawing level at 55-55.
With less than 20 seconds remaining, Cape Town had possession from the centre pass and needed one final score to complete their turnaround from last year’s disappointment. Former Proteas shooter Sigi Burger delivered, calmly sinking the decisive goal to send the home crowd into celebration.
“Obviously there’s a lot of pressure on your hands,” said Burger, 30. “But the beauty of being slightly older and more mature is it’s about being able to handle those big moments … and knowing it’s just another shot.”
For head coach Freda Kemp, last year’s narrow defeat had helped fuel their quest for redemption.
“We lost the final by one last year and, as they say, the table has been set for us – it’s hometown, home crowd,” Kemp said. “We really worked hard making sure the players had everything they needed to perform at the highest level, so I’m very proud of what they did today.”
Cape Town assistant coach Phumza Maweni, who was part of the Western Cape side that last won the tournament in its previous format in 2016, said the players delivered under pressure.
“It was hard on the bench, but I trusted the girls,” Maweni said. “The girls took the information and delivered exactly what we wanted them to deliver. It was good for us to win a final for our crowd. We’ve waited too long.”
For Tshwane, defeat brought a bitter end to a remarkable campaign. They had failed to reach the semi-finals last year but went unbeaten through the round-robin phase before dethroning Johannesburg.
Coach Rozanne Matthyse nevertheless took immense pride in her young side’s progress.
“The progression that we made in such a short time … I’m very proud,” she said. “For me, it’s 10 steps forward.”
With only three players over 30 and most of the squad under 25, Matthyse believes Tshwane have plenty to build on.
“Although we lost, I’m proud of what they produced today,” she said.
Mangaung edged Johannesburg 45-44 to claim the senior A-division bronze medal, while Johannesburg’s Under-21 side completed an unbeaten campaign by beating Tshwane 52-38 in the final to secure a third consecutive title.
Coach Bongi Msomi, who took over the side in 2024 after they had failed to win a match the previous year, praised her players for embracing the pressure of defending their crown.
“It’s all their work,” Msomi said. “You can be good as a coach, but if the players are not receiving it well, results are not going to come.”
