The Jamaica series is one of a number of international engagements for the Proteas this year, and is part of Netball South Africa’s (NSA) plan to provide the national team with as much international competition as possible leading up to the next major international tournament at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014.

Jamaica are currently ranked fourth, and should provide stiff opposition for the fifth-ranked South African team. The Jamaican players are generally very tall and their style of play very physical. “They have a height advantage in the goal circle at both ends, with exceptionally tall goalshooters and defenders. It is easier to counter taller defence, with speed and accuracy, but it is very hard to out-jump a very tall goalshooter,” said SPAR Proteas coach Elize Kotze.

“Centre court play will be very important.  We can’t just rely on turnover balls. “But I have great faith in players like Amanda Mynhardt and Vanes-Mari du Toit, who are both very experienced, to deal with the Jamaican attack.”

Mynhardt is currently playing in New Zealand, but Kotze said she was returning to South Africa until after the national championships in August. “She is gaining great experience in New Zealand, playing at the top level, week in and week out, but I would not like to be without her either as a captain or as a player.”

Kotze said it was important to develop a core of experienced players. “Developing a winning side is not a short-term exercise – it takes time,” she said. “I’m very happy that the only regular member of the team who will not be available is Claudia Basson, who has work commitments. We will miss her experience and her ability as a goalshooter, but this will open up opportunities for younger players to test themselves against very tough opposition.”

In October, South Africa will be taking part in a Quad Series in Australia and New Zealand, against the three top-ranked teams – Australia, New Zealand and England, and the series against Jamaica will go a long way to prepare the SPAR Proteas to compete against the very best.

Gold Coast saw CGF delegates opted for its ready-made facilities ahead of the ambitious development plans of the Sri Lankan city of Hambantota, reports Associated Press. Earlier at the Congress, South Africa’s Gideon Sam was voted in as one of the two vice-presidents.

The 70 members of the Commonwealth Games Federation meeting in this Caribbean nation voted 43-27 to award the 21st edition of the games to Australia for the fifth time, denying Sri Lanka’s hopes of hosting its first.

The strength of Gold Coast’s bid was its access to existing sporting facilities and good infrastructure, while Hambantota, in an area devastated by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, promised new stadiums, an international airport and other infrastructure by 2016.

“The hard work has paid off,” said Anna Bligh, Queensland’s premier. “The Commonwealth Games is one of the most significant sporting games in the world.”

About 90 kilometres south of Brisbane and with a population of around 540 000, Gold Coast is the first regional Australian city to host the games, following the state capitals of Sydney in 1938, Perth in 1962, Brisbane in 1982 and Melbourne in 2006.

“It was a close contest. A lot of delegates I talked to were really torn,” said Mark Stockwell, a former Commonwealth Games swimming champion and Gold Coast bid chairman. “I hope that Sri Lanka will put their hand up again.”

New Delhi hosted the 2010 games and Glasgow is scheduled to stage the event in 2014.

The competing bids made their final, 30-minute presentations to delegates immediately before Friday’s vote.

Hambantota hoped to be just the third Asian host, following Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1998 and New Delhi, and offered the Commonwealth Games Federation a chance to take its flagship event to new ground.

The Sri Lankan government bankrolled the Hambantota bid, hoping to use the games as a catalyst to develop a new economic and sporting hub for its Southern Province which was devastated by the 2004 tsunami.

The Gold Coast games will encompass the core Commonwealth Games sports of athletics, badminton, boxing, hockey, lawn bowls, netball, rugby sevens, squash, swimming and weightlifting and seven optional sports which will likely include basketball, shooting, table tennis, cycling, gymnastics, triathlon and wrestling.

Sam’s successful nomination, a major coup for the South African sports scene, was announced at the CGF’s Congress held on the Caribbean island of St Kitts and Nevis.

Malaysia’s HRH Prince Tunku Imraan was elected as the new president after Jamaican Michael Fennell had stepped down earlier this year after a 17-year spell.

Imran has served 11 years on the CGF Board as vice-president.

Sam, a veteran South African sports administrator, has been president of South Africa’s Olympic governing body since 2008.

He has previously headed up the national swimming federation as well as the triathlon code.

Sam said from St Kitts and Nevis on Friday: “It is a most humbling experience when countries listen to you when you put forward your candidacy and you speak from the heart to convince them to vote for you.

“I am looking forward to helping the Commonwealth Games movement go from strength to strength and making sure that it is afforded due recognition in the sporting arena.”

The other vice-president’s position will be filled by Canada’s Bruce Robertson.

The Congress is also expected to announce the winner of the host city for the 2018 Commonwealth Games with Hambantoto in Sri Lanka and Gold Coast in Australia the two bidding cities.

SASCOC CEO Tubby Reddy was equally delighted with the election of his President to the CGF Board and felt the decision augured well for the one to be taken later on the bid city host.

It was confirmed on Monday that this year’s Commonwealth Senior, Junior and Youth Weightlifting Championships will be held in conjunction with the African Senior championships in Cape Town.

Dates for the competition have been set down as 9-15 October.

This is the first time ever that the Commonwealth Championships will held on the African continent and having the African championships in conjunction with the event, will undoubtedly add more prestige to it.

Already the Championships have received a vast number of entries and, says Paul Coffa, General Secretary of Commonwealth Weightlifting Federation: “with the inclusion of the African entries,  we may finish up having A and B sessions in quite a few categories.

“We understand that this will put more pressure on the Organising Committee in South Africa, however knowing the excellent capabilities of the South African organising officials we have no doubt it will conducted at world championships standard.”

This emerged from Thursday’s press conference ahead of the 123rd International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session to be hosted in Durban next month.

SASCOC president Gideon Sam confirmed SA interest in a Commonwealth Games bid. “Immediately after the announcement of where the 2018 Commonwealth Games will be held, we will go in for 2022. It has never been to Africa and so we want to put in a bid,” he said.

November is the scheduled announcement date for the 2018 Games venue. That will be made in St Kitts & Nevis.

After successfully hosting the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup last year, South Africa were expected to bid for the 2020 Olympics, never yet hosted on the African continent, but national government opted not to back that bid, preferring to focus on issues of service delivery to all.

Sam said that on previous occasions the country had allowed other countries to bid for the Commonwealth Games. “In the past we stood back for Nigeria but they lost out to Glasgow (for the right to host the 2014 games). This time we have said there will be no horse-trading, we will put up our hand and see how we go,” he said.

Sam added that a bid for the Commonwealth Games would not be hampered by the same issues that affected a possible Olympics bid. “The scale of the Commonwealth Games is a lot smaller than the Olympics. We will have to have buy-in from a host city and from government, because of security issues, but we are not talking about the expense of an Olympics,” he said.

A feast of international netball kicks off on Sunday, 23 October at the Burswood Dome when South Africa and Malawi play a curtain raiser to the Australian Diamonds v New Zealand Silver Ferns Test match.

Blanche De La Guerre, Vice President of Netball South Africa (NSA) says that they are excited to take up the challenge. “The SPAR Proteas have a solid vision this year of taking South African netball to new heights. What better way to do this, than to play a host of international teams in one year.” “We are honoured to be given this opportunity to play in Perth, and as always, are looking forward to taking on Malawi.”

West Australian Premier Colin Barnett said the Government was pleased to bring major international sporting events to Western Australia. “Sport has the power to cross national, political, and religious boundaries to bring people together in fair and friendly competition. In a sports-mad country like Australia, these sporting events will give fans the chance to see elite athletes pitting themselves against the best in the world. The State recognises the importance of attracting major international events and we are constantly looking to secure new and exciting events that will improve vibrancy and draw visitors to Western Australia.”

Netball Australia CEO Kate Palmer said the Diamonds v Ferns match, part of the Holden Netball Test Series, promised international netball at its best with the world’s top two teams vying for the Constellation Cup. The inclusion of the South African Proteas, ranked sixth in the world, taking on the seventh ranked Malawi Queens, meant that sports fans would also get to experience the diverse range of styles across the four nations. “This special sporting fixture is an unprecedented opportunity to witness some of the world’s greatest players in action,” Palmer said.

“We are delighted that international netball is set to return to Perth for the first time since 2005, when the Diamonds hosted South Africa” said Palmer. “This is ‘must see’ netball – fast, furious and physical.”

Currently the top ranked bowler in the country, Louw won his medal in the singles division, bowling an average of 230.7 over six games.

The title went to Malaysia’s Zulmazran Zulkifli with Malta’s Neil Sullivan sealing silver.

Twenty-six-year-old Louw is from Kempton Park and bowls out of Greenstone, Modderfontein. When not bowling he studies civil engineering.

The championships are being held at Sunway Megalanes in Petaling Jaya and Team South Africa are represented by four players. Louw is accompanied by Ronald Mathee, Fatima Gouveia and Barbara Wilford.

The event is made up of singles, doubles, mixed doubles and team events as well as a Masters event for the top 12 men and women.

The championships continue until 26 February and feature 14 countries (made up of 26 men and 26 women).

Both cited personal reasons for their resignation and NSA President Mimi Mthethwa said NSA had accepted the resignations, and dismissed suggestions of a crisis in netball. “The Executive Committee has plans in place to ensure that the SPAR national team perform to the best of their ability in the important year ahead,” she said.

“We will appoint a panel of nine coaches, under the leadership of Director of Coaching Benny Saayman, to plot the way forward to the World Championships.” “We plan to have several training camps ahead of the Tri- Nations in May, and the World Championships in July.  The first training camp, at the end of January, will be quite a short one, but after that, we plan to hold camps lasting three to four weeks,” said Mthethwa.

“Longer training camps will give the team time to really develop a rapport with one another, and will also give the coaches time to work intensively on strategies going forward.”

Mthethwa said the top 30 players in South Africa would all be given a schedule of the proposed training camps as well as fixtures, and NSA would expect total commitment from them.

“Any player who says she is not available for a training camp will be dropped,” she said.  “In the past, we have had a number who have not been available for the training camps, but suddenly become available when it is time for a tournament or an international series. “We have a lot of very good players, and we have no place for people who do not commit themselves wholly to the team.”

Strauss, who took charge of the national team in 2008, said her decision to resign was not taken lightly, and she had agonised over it for some time. “The post of national coach is not a fulltime one, and I think it’s time to concentrate on my career in school netball well as my own netball academy,” she said.

“I have enjoyed my time with the national team, and wish them everything of the best in the future. I would also like to thank the sponsors, SPAR, for their generous support, and NSA for the confidence they placed in me. “I like to think I will continue to contribute to the development of netball in South Africa through my work with the schools,” she said.

Playing in the new format, Fastnet tournament in Liverpool this weekend, the 12-strong squad boasts seven new caps. “Several members of the team that went to the Commonwealth Games were unavailable for selection for various reasons, such as injuries, exams and other personal reasons,” explained national coach Carin Strauss.

“But this is an ideal time to blood some new players. The Fastnet tournament is a different format, and although it is an IFNA (International Federation of Netball Associations) event, there are no ranking points at stake, which takes a lot of the pressure off the players.”

Strauss said the introduction of a number of younger players into the squad meant that there was a new energy in the squad. “There’s a new vibe,” she said. “The new squad members are very excited to be here, and they are very coachable. They are not the country’s top players, but they are being given an opportunity to show us what they can do, and maybe even force their way into the regular team.”

She said the Fastnet format was an excellent way of introducing young players to top international netball. Fastnet is the netball equivalent of Twenty20 cricket. Quarters are only six minutes long, shooters can score from inside or outside the goal circle, with goals scored from outside earning double points, and rolling substitutions are allowed throughout the match. Each team can also select one quarter as a power play, when all goals scored count double.

“The format means that we can let them go on for a quarter or even less than a quarter and then take them off again, if they seem to be struggling,” said Strauss.  “They all know it’s going to be very hard work – the game is even faster than normal netball, but they are fit and should be able to last out.”

“It is going to be very important to manage the power plays – I think they will be crucial to winning or losing.  Scores in this form of netball will probably be very close. We also have to see how the other team responds, and it can be even more challenging if both team select the same quarter for their power plays.”  “But we have some very mobile shooters, and that mobility is going to be critical.”

Strauss said some of the younger players might take some time adjusting to the noise and razzmatazz of Fastnet netball, and most would be playing in front of the biggest crowd they had encountered. “Netball is very well supported in England,” she said.  “This is a big venue, and that may come as something of a surprise to our players.”

Regarding South Africa’s perpetual nemesis, Malawi, Strauss said the Fastnet format suited South Africa better than Malawi. “They play a very patient and more static game,” she said.  “Also, the younger players don’t have a history with Malawi, so they don’t have a mental block about them.”

She said the five players who played at the Commonwealth Games – Amanda Mynhardt, Erin Burger, Maryka Holtzhausen, Zukelwa Cwaba and Chrisna Bootha  – would play an important role in the team, providing experience to temper the exuberance of youth. The other members of the Fastnet squad are; Tsakane Mbewe, Ilzeri Britz, Thuli Qegu, Kgomotso Itlhabanyeng , Nadia Uys , Elsunett Du Plessis, and Success Lekabe. SPAR Proteas player Amanda Mynhardt will captain the team in the absence of the charismatic Liezel Wium, who is struggling with a calf injury.

The tournament, which begins on Friday and ends on Sunday, includes the  top six countries on the IFNA rankings: Australia, England, Jamaica, New Zealand, Malawi and South Africa.

The team gather in Potchefstroom from Wednesday to prepare for the World Fastnet Netball Series in Liverpool from 19-21 November.

Just as the condensed Twenty20 form of cricket has changed the face of cricket and attracted a whole new audience, Fastnet is expected to attract big crowds as it is fast, frenetic and furious!

The top six countries in world netball — England, New Zealand, Australia, Malawi, Jamaica and South Africa – will battle it out for top honours. The International Federation of Netball Associations (IFNA) has devised innovative playing conditions designed to test the fitness, technical ability and tactical awareness of the best players in the world.

Matches are made up of four six-minute quarters with three two-minute breaks, promising an awesome high-energy spectacle. Each team is allowed an unlimited number of rolling substitutions. A rolling substitute can enter the game at any time, as play will not be stopped for the substitution.

Each team may select one quarter as a power play, during which any goals scored will be doubled. Goal shooters can shoot from inside or outside the goal circle, with goals scored from outside the circle being doubled.

The six teams will all play each other over the first two days of the tournament, with the placings being decided on Sunday 21 November.

Proteas coach Carin Strauss is very excited about the tournament.“Fastnet is a very exciting form of netball,” she said. “There are not so many delays – for instance, the umpire’s whistle will be blown less often than in a standard netball match, and the opportunity for rolling substitutions means you can bring on fresh legs at any time.”

“I think it will be a very good test for our players. They have been working very hard on their fitness and fitness will be very important in this form of the game. Most importantly, it will be fun. Netball is already a fast-moving game, but Fastnet takes that to a new level. I also believe the format means that differences between the top teams, like New Zealand and Australia, and countries like South Africa and Malawi will be flattened out a bit.”

Strauss has planned a strenuous programme for the training camp, including fitness sessions, practice matches, sessions in the swimming pool, road-running and ice-baths.