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Lillian Sibanda Sports Correspondent
A vociferous Zimbabwean crowd at White City Netball Courts propelled the home team to a memorable gold medal at the expense of South Africa in the ongoing African Union Sports Council Region 5 Under-20 Youth Games.

Zimbabwe beat South Africa 45-37 yesterday.

Having fallen 32-40 in the group match on Tuesday, Zimbabwe came to the final a super-charged and changed lot as they were clearly psyched up for the match.

Even when the South Africans got their first point 33 seconds from the first whistle, the Zimbabwean girls kept their cool. The scoreline at that moment was not important to them but the final result.

The pair of goalscorers Sharon Bwanali and Mercy Mukwadi were again a marvel to watch as they took turns to bang in goals as a result of their excellent combination.

It was no surprise when the golden girls cruised to a 11-2 first quarter lead.

They continued with their dominance in the second quarter as they again went to halftime leading the previously-feared South Africans.

As the second half and third quarter started, the crowd which by now was well over 4,500, was in delirium, cheering every pass from the Ropafadzo Mutsauki-coached girls. But credit should be given to the South Africans who somehow concentrated on their game in a bid to level the scoreline.

As the South Africans threatened to complete a double over the Games’ hosts, the fans turned on the power and upped the tempo on the terraces. It proved to be just what the doctor ordered.

With the scoreline delicately poised at 35-33 in favour of Zimbabwe, the hosts went a gear up with the fans singing the ancient war cry, Yave nyama yokugocha.

An elated goal shooter Bwanali was humbled by the unwavering support from the fans.

“I don’t know what to say. The fans were screaming my name and gave me the energy to soldier on even when the chips were down during the game.

“I’m happy that we managed to raise our flag high and well. I’m over-excited to say the least,” she said.

Mutsauki said:

“I’m very happy and I’d like to give credit to my players who gave it their all throughout the tournament. They played very well and were able to follow our instructions. We did well by dominating from the first whistle because we didn’t want to have a repeat of what happened on Tuesday when they beat us.”

His opposite number Jenny Van Dyk was disappointed by the loss.

“We had a slow start to the game but we learnt a lot from the Zimbabwean team,” she said.

Preceding the pulsating final, Botswana beat Namibia 48-28 to take home the bronze medal.

Team List

Zimbabwe

Bwanali Sharon (G.S), Mukwadi Mercy (G.A), Ncube Sanele (W.D), Kwangwa Felisitus (GD), Mauladi Patricia (C ), Chiwenga Chidochashe (W.A), Chitiva Sithembile (G.K)

South Africa

Ine-Mari Venter G.S, Charmain Baarot (G.A), Bhongo Ngubeni (W.A), Lungile Mthembu (W.D), Jo Prins (C Alicia Puren (G.D), Maryke Coetzee (G.K).