Diamonds defend South One Nico Top 12 Netball honours

Kukoma Diamonds have defended the Southern Region One Nico Top 12 Netball Cup after beating Tigresses 51-46 in the final of the 13-team regional play-offs’ at Blantyre Sports Arena (BSA) Sunday.

Diamonds will now lead their runners-up Tigresses and third-placed Giants Netball Club to the national finals where they will be joined by other top-three teams each from the Eastern, Central and Northern regional play-offs to be played in the subsequent weekends.

Part of the action between Diamonds and Tigresses. | Solomon Manda.

Diamonds coach Noel Mussa, whose side finished as runners-up at national level last year after a 37-29 loss to eventual champions Blue Eagles, said they are delighted to retain the regional honours and vowed to fight hard to win the national crown this year.

In final, Diamonds led 16-12 in the first quarter with shooters Idah Mhone and Jessica Mazengera-Sanudi hardly missing under the loop. They extended the lead to 27-21 at half-time.

Tigresses caused a scare at some point in the third quarter, narrowing the gap to three baskets with shooter Tendai Masamba doing the donkey work. However, Diamonds got back on track to take a 38-33 lead at the end of the segment. It was also a see-saw affair in the last quarter, but Diamonds held on to their nerve to register a five basket victory.

The Giants finished third following their 47-42 victory over Pacers during third-place play-off.

The second edition of One Nico Top 12 Netball Cup rolled into action on Friday at BSA, but was launched on Saturday with sponsors Nico Holdings Limited plc reaffirming their commitment to taking a holistic approach to reviving Malawi lost netball glory.

Nico Holdings plc head of marketing and customer experience Taweni Gondwe-Xaba said their commitment to restoring the Malawi Queens’ pride is not restricted to providing support to the national netball team only, but also creating a platform for competition among elite players, talent development and the improvement of technical officials.

“We are determined to get Malawi netball back on the right track and we are not only looking at one side of improving the standard of the sport in the country,” she said.

Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) president Vitumbiko Gubuduza said they owe the country’s netball rebuilding process to Nico Group’s support.

“For a start, Malawi Queens could not have qualified for the 2027 Netball World Cup without the support we get from Nico,” she said.

“Apart from that, the group’s sponsorship of the Top 12 Cup offers more opportunities to identify and nurture up-and-coming talent while promoting financial literacy among participants. They also support umpires, bench officials and coaches and help us in our scouting programme. We are grateful to Nico for their commitment.”

Kukoma Diamonds, Tigresses, Giants, Pacers, Chilomoni Sisters, Blantyre Tremors, Shizaella Queens, Future Pacers, Machinjiri Sisters, Kukoma Reserve, Tigresses Cubs, Giants Reserves and Fada Sisters competed in the three-day playoffs until.

During the launch of the Southern Region playoffs on Saturday, urban musician Piksy entertained the fans.

Blantyre City Mayor Isaac Jomo Osman urged Nico Group to also buy a bus for Malawi Queens to ease their transportation challenges during local camps.

Nico Group has since increased the tournament’s sponsorship from K60 million to K75 million.

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