Spar South African netball national squad had a successful training camp in Potchefstroom at the weekend, and national coach Carin Strauss was very happy with the progress made by the players since their last training camp in January.

“The players are beginning to get court fit, and it was obvious that most of them have been working hard on the fitness programmes they were given after the last camp in January.  The one or two who haven’t worked as hard know that they are just making it easier for us when we select the starting line-ups,” said Strauss.”

“We now have two quality players for each position, so the competition for places is stiff, and the girls know that. As our President, Mimi Mthethwa has said, there will be no passengers in the Proteas squad – anyone who is in it will have to earn that right.”

She said the players were showing more intensity in training and this had been borne out when they played a match against a North West South men’s team. “We were all over them,” she said. “Our scoring rate went up from about 60 in a match to 80, and they could only get about 20 goals against us.”

Strauss was particularly pleased with the centre court players, where she said Christine Markgraaff, Erin Burger and Liesel Wium had all been playing exceptionally well. “They really work well together, and we can build a very strong Spar National team around them,” said Strauss.

The training camps are being held to prepare for the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi this year and the World Netball Championships in Singapore in 2011.  As part of the preparations, there are plans for a three Test series against Malawi in April.

“Then, in June we go to New Zealand for a training camp before heading for a two-Test series in Samoa.  In New Zealand, we will play some matches against franchises that are playing in the ANZ League, which is probably the strongest netball league in the world, with franchise teams from Australia and New Zealand. We won’t be playing against New Zealand, because their players are all involved in the ANZ, but the franchise teams are very strong, and playing against them will give us invaluable experience.”

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