Botswana’s national netball team has moved up seven places in the World Netball Rankings following a stellar performance at the Singapore Nations Cup in December last year.
The latest rankings, which are based on all matches played up to the 10th of December 2022 indicate that Botswana is now ranked 24th from the 31st position they were in going into the Singapore tournament.
It was the country’s biggest leap in world rankings following six years of a downward spiral caused by lack of action at international level, and a string of poor results.
Botswana’s all time best rank remains 16th which was achieved in 2007.
The team arrived in Singapore as a lowly ranked side compared to all the competing teams.
However vital wins against Fiji, Republic of Ireland, Singapore and Malaysia earned the local girls massive points to propel them up the ranks.
Continentally, Botswana remains on position seven behind South Africa, Malawi, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia respectively.
In November last year, Botswana’s position in the rankings was 34th, an all time low for one of Africa’s netballing powerhouses.
With the latest rise being attributed to coach Jenny Van Dyk’s, it remains to be seen how Botswana Netball Association (BONA) intend to keep this momentum going.
The good performance was also attributed to the return of the national league.
The league sponsored by Lucara Botswana was hailed as the pinnacle of the national team’s rise to glory.
However the sponsorship which was only for one seaon has since elapsed.
According to BONA’s mouthpiece, Mokeresete Mokeresete, Van Dyk has laid down a team programme which they’ve been
following since her arrival.
“The coach’s top priority is to build a solid team that will dominate for many years to come. The plan is not to have a long lasting legacy of a winning mentality,” said Mokeresete.
“Of course we don’t have finances but we need to work hard as an association to have money in any possible way and that’s what we have been doing this year through seeking donations and sponsorships,” explained Mokeresete.
The BONA PRO said he was worried that failure to send the team to more ranking tournaments could lead to the team falling down the rankings.
The team’s failure to qualify for the 28th July World Netball Cup in Cape Town South Africa, means Van Dyk’s girls only have the Africa Cup 2023 to further improve their world rankings.
“We are aiming to push hard to play more world netball sanctioned test matches especially with countries ranked above us to ensure that we keep this team match fit and to also continue improving our position in the world netball rankings,” said Mokeresete.
