Malawi Queen claim historic win over Australia in Fast5
The Fast5 Netball World Series tagline ‘netball like you’ve never seen” came true for the Malawi Queens on Friday, claiming a historic 33-15 first win over Australia.
A David and Goliath battle of epic proportions transpired with the vivacious African side dominating Australia in every phase. Leading 15-7 at halftime, Malawi notched up 18 goals to Australia’s meagre eight in the second half.
Victory over the powerhouse of world netball “delighted” Malawi coach Griffin Saenda.
“We have been used to playing second fiddle to Australia, to New Zealand, to England etcetera and this is our first win. Even though it’s not in the traditional game, we have beaten Australia and measured our stick and we are very, very happy,” he said.
The introduction of netball in a condensed and dynamic form had transformed the game and put each of the six competing nations on a level footing when it came to adapting to the new format.
“The playing field is even. Fast5 is a new game and when luck is with you, everything is possible.”
Saenda was confident Malawi would continue to have an impact at the three-day tournament on and off the court – already evident in the team’s popularity with fans.
“People love our play because we play our own style of netball and I think that is why they are happy watching us,” he said.
“We have fun and that’s why the people will keep cheering for us.”
In its second game of the tournament, Malawi suffered a gut-wrenching 31-32 loss to Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls.
“They used their power play in the final quarter and that’s what killed us,” Malawi captain Caroline Mtukule said. “But that’s the game – someone has to win and someone has to lose.”
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