Africa-Press – Kenya. National women’s netball team ‘Divas’ chances of featuring in the 2023 World Cup went up in the smoke after dropping to classification matches of the ongoing African Cup in Pretoria, South Africa.
Divas recovered from their first two defeats to record a 52-36 consolation win over Eswatini in a dead rubber match.
The match was called off five minutes from regulation time after power failure led to poor lighting.
Divas were then declared winners as per competition rules. The laws indicate that a team leading with 15 or more goals is awarded the win if play is halted due to technicalities during the last five minutes of the match.
Kenyans were hoping to book the two remaining slots for the global assignment but were dealt an early blow after going down 47-30 to Zambia on Sunday.
The 12-member team’s lucklustre performance persisted on Tuesday they fell to red-hot Malawi 72-31 in their second match. South Africa already booked the World Cup slot by virtue of being hosts.
If South Africa finish in the top two, the third-placed team will be invited to compete at the 2023 Netball World Cup. The week-long competition that started Sunday will end on Saturday.
The 2023 Netball World Cup will be held from July 28 to August 6 at the International Convention Centre in Cape Town, South Africa—marking the first time the tournament will be held in Africa.
Divas are currently ranked 40th in the world, Uganda (sixth), Malawi (seventh), Zimbabwe 13th, Zambia (17th), Namibia (23rd) and Botswana (28th)
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