Cape Town, South Africa (News of The South) – At the end, the Gems collected themselves and ensured they finished the Netball World Cup with some dignity after sealing 13th place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
The Zimbabweans came out guns blazing ripping apart Barbados 75-48 in the 13th place play-off final on Friday.
Although the Gems had indicated they were aiming to clip a top four place prior to the tournament, they couldn’t manage to manoeuvre past the first stage preliminary groups.
They lost all their Pool A matches to Australia, Fiji and Tonga resulting in their demotion to the 16-team tournament’s bottom four contest.
And they couldn’t let slip a chance to finish in the top 13 putting on a flawless show against Barbados in the final.
Cheered by their ever passionate fans who have been a spectacle in the tournament, the Gems were unforgiving as they relentlessly pressured Barbados into committing mistakes and giving away possession.
Their performance made a mockery of a side that beat them in their second preliminary stage only on Monday with a polished show that won them critical acclaim.
Gems captain Felistas Kwangwa hailed her teammates for the disciplined show.
“This is more like it. We wanted to attain a position in the top four getting into the World Cup,” said Kwangwa.
“But that wasn’t to be after we started the campaign on a low note.
“We were not exactly what we ought to be.
“But we recovered well in the second preliminary stage where we beat Sri Lanka and Singapore.
“Barbados beat us in the first match but we studied how they play.
“We discovered both their strengths and weaknesses and made sure we addressed everything that needed attention on our part.
“We did exactly what we were supposed to do in the match against Barbados. The girls were really up to the task and we are happy that we managed to end the tournament on a high note. Once we failed to make the top 12, the plan was to end with some dignity which we did. We are very happy as a team”.
With Zimbabwe taking the 13th place position, Barbados finished 14th while Singapore who finished 15th after beating Sri Lanka in the battle for 15th place.
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