Proteas out to disappoint Sunshine Girls

The SPAR Proteas will begin 2024 with a stern challenge when they take on Jamaica in the three-Test Margaret Beckford Sunshine series in Kingston.

In form Jamaica recently moved into third spot, behind Australia and New Zealand, on the world rankings, after beating England in a Test series.

The Proteas and the Sunshine Girls have played each other 18 times, with the Proteas winning three times – most notably in the Netball World Cup in Liverpool in 2019, where the South Africans won by 55 goals to 52 earning them a spot in the semifinals.

The Sunshine Girls will be coach Jenny van Dyk’s biggest task since her appointment early last year.

“It’s always tough playing in the Caribbean, but I went to the Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago in 2023, so I am used to that kind of atmosphere. The humidity may also be a problem. Our strategy will be to close the gap in the scoreline and then to go in hard, looking for the win,” Van Dyk told reporters.

The matches in Jamaica will be played next week Saturday, the 22nd and 25th of this month at the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston.

From Jamaica, the SPAR Proteas will travel to the United Kingdom to play in the Vitality Netball Nations Cup next month.  The other teams taking part are England, Uganda, and Malawi.

The Proteas will leave for Kingston tomorrow.