Gutsy Free State Crinums netball players and their illustrious coach Martha Mosoahle-Samm have written another chapter in South African netball.
They did this by winning the Telkom Netball League (TNL) trophy, pulling off a narrow 47 – 46 win against the Gauteng Jaguars on Wednesday, 19 June.
It is a first for Mosoahle-Samm as a coach, as well as a first for the team under the current sponsor. The Crinums boast three titles to their cabinet under the previous sponsor, when the competition was called the Brutal Fruit Premier League – secured in 2014, 2015 and 2016. The Crinums’ back-to-back titles were achieved under coach Burta de Kock. The Free State side beat the Jaguars in all the finals in the years in question.
The Jaguars, in turn, boast sixth titles in total.
The Crinums is the team competing in this South African league with the second most trophies – having reached six finals, and having lost twice to its arch-rivals. The Crinums’ win serves as a reward for Mosoahle-Samm, who led the team to a bronze medal in the 2022 Telkom Netball League.
The Crinums reached this year’s final after beating another Gauteng side, the Golden Fireballs, by 43 – 39 in the second semifinal.
The victorious Crinums celebrated also having two players receiving coveted individual awards. The pair, Karla Pretorius and Refiloe Nketsa, were rewarded with the player of the tournament and best centre accolades for helping inspire the team to win.
