SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Fast 5’s Netball Durban North Regional - Ashton International College: Saturday 12 September

Danville Park Girls’ High School gave a rock-solid performance, claiming their third title in the Durban North Regional of the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Fast 5’s Challenge hosted by Ashton International College on Saturday 12 September.

The defending champs met one times regional winner, Our Lady of Fatima in the regional final where the ‘Danville Diamonds’ sparkled, finishing off their spectacular efforts, winning 13 – 10. Danville topped the log after their seven games, victorious in all of the round robin games, finishing on 21 points. Fatima ended the first phase in third place, 3 points behind hosts Ashton who finished on 18 points. The visitors went down to Ashton in the opening fixture of the day, followed by a narrow defeat by Danville, in their second fixture. Thereafter, they refocused, claiming victory in all of their remaining matches.  

Fatima met Ashton in the second semi-final, and in the all-to-play-for game, Fatima upset the home team’s intentions, dominating the game knocking in 15 to Ashton’s 10. Ashton advanced to the regional final last year, going down narrowly to Danville by 1 point. Danville took on Curro Salt Rock in the first semi-final, securing a comfortable win 19-5. 

Hand up! Our Lady of Fatima’s Zoe Quigley secures the ball during the final against Danville Park Girls’ High School, as Rachael Shea falls into a defensive role at the Durban North Regional of the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Fast 5’s Netball Challenge that took place at Ashton International College on Saturday 12 September. Pic by Val Adamson.

In the final, Fatima tipped off and wasted no time to earn their first point, after only 23 seconds of play. Danville replied on the other end, levelling the score. Fatima was next to surge forward, but an unsuccessful attempt gave Danville the ball, wasting no time to net their second goal, followed by their third 90 seconds later. Fatima replied with two well-crafted attacks that got them level again at 3 all. In the final three and a half minutes of the first 8-minute half, the game flowed to all corners of the court. Danville managed to add only 3 more goals to their tally, having to work hard with creative plays to get around the sturdy Fatima defence. The half-time score was 6 – 3. 

In the second half, Danville were first to add to their account. Fatima responded 33 seconds later. A determined Fatima worked hard, creating opportunities for their forwards, but the slick team of Amy Walhuter and Gianna Gaillard didn’t allow the Fatima forwards any room to get under the pole, forcing them to try land looping shots from near the 2-point circle. In a tightly contested second half, Danville had successfully added 7 points with Fatima having manufactured the final attack of the game. As the final seconds disappeared, Fatima’s captain Zoe Quigley, perched mere centimetres outside of the 3-point line, floated the ball for a perfect 3 pointer, the only adventurous long shot of the entire day; levelling the second half’s points to the same as Danville’s 7. The final score was 13 – 10 in favour of Danville. 

Brilliantly guided by Baby Proteas coach, Precious Mthembu, Danville have featured in all but one of this regional’s finals, the only year that Danville didn’t make the final two, Fatima was boldly successful in 2024. Fatima has vied for the title three times, going down twice to Danville and defeating Curro Salt Rock two years ago. 

The tournament heads inland for the penultimate challenge, Pionier Hoërskool hosts teams for the Northern KZN Regional next weekend (Saturday 19 September), before Epworth hosts the final challenge shortly when schools return from holidays in October. 

Results

Regional Final

Danville Park Girls High School 13 vs Our Lady of Fatima 10

Semi-Finals

Danville Park Girls’ High School 19 vs Curro Salt Rock 5; Ashton International College 10 vs Our Lady of Fatima 15

Round Robin

1 Danville Park Girls’ High School 21pts; 2 Ashton International College 18pts; 3 Our Lady of Fatima 15pts; 4 Curro Salt Rock 12pts; 5 Danville Park Girls’ High School’s Invitational 9pts; 6 Crawford International College La Lucia 6pts; 7 Crawford International College North Coast 3pts; 8 Ekwazini High School 0pts

SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Fast 5’s Netball Challenge Durban Central Regionals - Durban Girls’ College: Saturday 29 August

Clutching onto their title, Durban Girls’ College successfully defended the trophy in a nail-biter of a final at the Durban Central Regional of the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Fast 5’s Netball Challenge that they hosted on Saturday 29 August.

College met local rivals, Durban Girls’ High School in the concluding game of the tournament where the game went down to the wire. Girls’ High have featured in the last three Durban Central Regional finals, finishing in second place in all three, two of those games have been against Girls’ College. Last year, College confidently won the regional final, whilst this year Girls’ High were a force to be reckoned with. 

Next step. Intercepting, Durban Girls’ College’s Ndondo Ntombela snuffs the attack by Durban Girls’ High School’s Alwande Ntsele during the final of the Durban Central Regional of the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Fast 6’s Netball Challenge that College hosted on Saturday 29 August. Photo: Rogan Ward

Sitting up on the hill, the picturesque setting was prone to a blustery north easter gusting across the field, giving the shooters an extra challenge to read the conditions as they fired off their shots. 

College got the finals underway and within seconds, Girls’ High had executed the first of many intercepts that had the ball ricocheting around the midfield. The first attempt at goals was made by Girls High with only 50 seconds on the clock, but it was unsuccessful. College had a handful of attempts on the ‘breezy’ end but in similar fashion, the score remained unchanged. The first half was a feast of rapid retaliations as both teams pushed the game to the limits in a tightly contested final. 

It took over 4 minutes before the first goal was netted by Girls’ High with their shooter being awarded a penalty directly under the pole after she was obstructed. 30 seconds later, College had levelled on the other end. Girls’ High worked hard in their attacks led by captain, Tyra Norris, at the 8-minute half time whistle, the visitors led by 4-2. 

The second half got underway with College again tipping off, this time the home team had an air of urgency, within 90 seconds they had sent the ball up to their forwards who were now shooting on the sheltered end, the scoreline was quickly levelled at 4 all with Ndondo Ntombela working hard as the playmaker in the middle. Midway through the second half, College pocketed two back-to-back 1 pointers, giving them the edge. Girls’ High dug deep but only managed to advance by one, which had College replying with another goal on the other end. In the final minute Girls’ High threw everything at College, taking the scoreline to 7-8. In a last gasp attempt, as the final seconds ticked by, Alwande Ntsele was gifted the last chance of the game. Steadying herself, she took an extra second to gage the gusts but her pause for composure unfortunately took too long and as her shot flew goalwards, the umpire’s whistle sounded disallowing the buzzer shot.

College earned their fourth title in the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Fast 5’s Challenge, winning in 2022, 2023, 2025 and 2026. 

In the build up to the finals, Durban Girls College topped their log with newcomers, Madlenkosi High School making a big impact in their first appearance finishing second in the log and advancing to the semi-finals. In Pool B, Durban Girls’ High School topped their log with St Henry’s Marist College finishing second. College took on St Henry’s in the first semi where the result was 12 – 6 in favour of the home team. Special mention to the hard-working Zasembo Mkhize for her sublime aerial assaults in overturning the ball countless times. In the second semi-final, Girls’ High met Madlenkosi in their inaugural top four playoff. Girls’ High claimed victory with an 8-4 win. 

The next regional heads to Hillcrest High School where teams competing in the Highway Regional will be taking to the court in the hopes of dethroning the host school who are vying for their fourth title. 

For more info follow the tournament on their social media pages.

Results

Final

Durban Girls’ College 8 vs Durban Girls’ High School 7

Semi-finals

Durban Girls’ College 12 vs St Henry’s Marist College 6

Durban Girls’ High School 8 vs Madlenkosi High School 4 

Pool A

1 Durban Girls’ College 15pts; 2 Madlenkosi High School 12pts; 3 Phambiti High School 7pts; 4 Igagasi High School 7pts; 5 Port Natal School  / Skool 3pts; 6 Werda Skool / School Seconds 0pts

Pool B

11 Durban Girls’ High School 15pts; 2 St Henry’s Marist College 12pts; 3 Durban Girls' College Invitational 9pts; 4 Werda Skool / School First 6pts; 5 Ridge Park College 3pts; 6 Mowat Park High School 0pts

SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Fast 5’s Netball Challenge Durban South Regional - Hutchinson Park: Saturday 15 August

Dominating from start to finish, host team, Amanzimtoti Netball Club took the honours in the Durban South Regional of the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Fast 5’s Netball Challenge at Hutchinson Park, Amanzimtoti on Saturday 15 August.

Comprising scholars from around the area, Toti’s Netball team took to the court earning convincing wins in all of their eight round robin games, netting 102 points courtesy of on-target sharp shooters, Hannah Grey and Micheala Clegg. Playmaker for the team, Tyra Norris was a firecracker in the centre, efficiently intercepting the ball on numerous occasions, and quickly feeding her attackers in the circle. Another ‘stand out’ player was their keeper, Zoey Quigley, who ‘towered’ above most of her opponents, constantly springing to life like a jack-in-the-box. 

The home team easily advanced to the semi-final, meeting three-times champions, Kingsway High School who have hoisted the trophy in consecutive years 2022 – 2024. The result was a convincing victory by Toti 18-4. In the second semi-final, defending champions, Kuswag Skool finished second overall and met travelling Hoërskool Suid-Natal who finished third place in the round robin games. In an action-packed game, only one point separated the two teams. Suidies took the game with 9 points ejecting the hard-working defending champs who scored 8 points. 

Long jump. Amanzimtoti Netball Club’s Tyra Norris stretches mid-stride to hang onto the wide pass as Hoërskool Suid-Natal’s Chantelle Coetzee desperately tries to intercept as Alexis Ahearne watches on during the Durban South Regional final of the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Fast 5’s Netball Challenge that took place at Hutchinson Park on Saturday 15 August. Pic by Rogan Ward.

In the regional final, Suid Natal got centre pass, sending the ball quickly up to their post lady who fired off the first shot of the game with only 16 seconds on the clock. The ball arched over the goal, giving possession to Toti. Wasting no time, the ball made its way up to Grey who slotted in the first point of the game twenty seconds later. 

A quarter of the way through the first half, Suidies’ Chantelle Coetzee adventurously launched an attempt, successfully earning herself a 2 pointer – the only one of the game. At the blast of whistle for half time, the visitors pocketed their fourth point giving them a 2-goal deficit of 2 points. Midway the score was sitting at 6-4. The second half was littered with 1 pointers, with the fired-up Grey and Clegg adding 9 points with Suid Natal only successfully finding space around the jumper, Quigley to secure three points. The final score 15-7 in favour of Toti.

The tournament heads inland for the Southern KZN Regional hosted by Kokstad College on Saturday 22 August, where four-times winner, Shayamoya Area Secondary School aims to hold 8 teams at bay to secure their fifth title, the only team in the challenge with a 100% record. 

For more information, follow the tournament on social media.

Results:

Final

Amanzimtoti Netball Club 15 vs Hoërskool Suid-Natal 7

Semi-Final

Amanzimtoti Netball Club 18 vs Kingsway High School 4

Hoërskool Suid-Natal 9 vs Kuswag Skool 8

Round Robin

1 Amanzimtoti Netball Club 24pts; 2 Kuswag Skool 19pts; 3  Hoërskool Suid-Natal 15pts; 4 Kingsway High School 14pts; 5 RBP Netball Club 13pts; 6 Southcity Christian School 9pts; 7 Port Shepstone High School 6pts; 8 Creston College 3pts; 9 Kwamakhuta Comprehensive High School 3pts

SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Fast 5s Netball Challenge North Coast Regional - Grantleigh School: Saturday 1 August

Rain stopped play at the enthusiastic North Coast Regional where 11 schools were putting all the efforts into taking home the trophy in the opening tournament of the 6th SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Fast 5s Netball Challenge that took place at Grantleigh College on Saturday 1 August.

In the 21 games played, it rained goals with a total of 227 being netted. The second team from Khombindela High School were leading in the lunchtime fixture against Felixton College before umpires made the responsible call to halt play in the downpour. Only two more rounds in the pool games remained until the semi-finals.

High five. Hoerskool Richardsbaai’s Samantha Viljoen launches herself to intercept Felixton College’s Zenande Mncwabe during their pool game at the North Coast Regional of the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Fast 5s Netball Challenge that took place at Grantleigh School on Saturday 1 August. Pic by Val Adamson.

The four previous champions were all looking good to advance to the semi-finals, with Dlangezwa High School also putting their hand up to be considered. Leading pool A was one time winner, Tholokuhle High School who had 12 points with one game in hand. Tied at second place was Hoërskool Richardsbaai who raised the trophy two years ago and Dlangezwa, both sitting on 10 points. Hoerskool Richardsbaai had scored a total of 21 goals while Dlangezwa, still with a game in hand, had a tally of 26 goals.

Defending champions, and two times winner, Khombindela High School's first team found themselves level on points with one time winner, Empangeni High School both on 15 points.

 Step to it. Weighing up her options, : Sabelwe Makhanyavs from Empangeni High School plans her attack while her team mate Xoliswa Cele watches her opponents moves. Elihle Nzuza and Coco Cameron playing for Grantleigh School  keep an eye on the ball during their pool game at the North Coast Regional of the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Fast 5s Netball Challenge that took place at Grantleigh School on Saturday 1 August. Pic by Val Adamson.

Khombindela looked to be stronger, with a game still in hand, after they dominated their fixture against their neighbours, Empangeni - winning 13 to 8. Khombindela had racked up 5 goals in their three pool games while Empangeni slotted in 30 goals in their four pool games.

The tournament heads to Amanzimtoti where ‘Toti Netball Club will host the upcoming Durban South Regional on Saturday 15 August

For more information, follow the challenge on its social media channels.

SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Fast 5’s Netball Challenge 2026 - Date Announcement KwaZulu-Natal

Nearly 90 schools will have their court appearance at the upcoming SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Fast 5’s Netball Challenge that kicks off in August.

The tournament now in its sixth year has hosted 34 regionals in the five years since its inception in 2019. The first year, the fledgling tournament started with only four regionals, quickly growing to seven areas over the following two years. The successful Challenge has now doubled in size and travels to eight areas in KZN.

"SPAR KwaZulu-Natal is pleased to see how the Challenge has evolved over the years,” says Nelene Rampersad, Promotion, Advertising & Communication Manager for SPAR KwaZulu-Natal, sponsors of the tournament. “Our involvement goes beyond sponsorship; we believe in the power of sport to build confidence, discipline and creating a sense of belonging among young women and their peers.”

Netting the first tournament this year, Grantleigh School welcomes teams for the Zululand Regional on Saturday 1 August. Travelling down the coast, Toti Netball Club hosts teams for the South Coast Regional at Hutchinson Park on Saturday 15 August. The following weekend the Challenge moves inland to Kokstad College who opens up their picturesque school for the Southern KZN Regional. Wrapping up the August commitments, Durban Girls’ College is the venue for the Durban Central Regional on Saturday 29 August.

Thomas More College will enjoy having teams competing on their campus for the Upper Highway Regional on Saturday 5 September. The final local tournament, the Durban North Regional unfolds at Ashton International College in Ballito on Saturday 12 September. Concluding the Challenges, Pionier Hoërskool in Vryheid is ‘hoopful’ that teams participating in the Northern KZN Regional will shoot for glory on Saturday 19 September. 

Eight teams will be returning in the hopes of defending their titles. The North Coast Regional has had four champions, with Khombindela High School eager to retain the honour and earn their third title. Newcomer, Kuswag Hoërskool is the third team to hoist the South Coast Regional trophy and are keen to have a back-to-back victory. The only team with a 100% record in the challenge is Shayamoya Area Secondary School who will be determined to continue their dominance in the Southern KZN Regional. 

With home turf advantage, Durban Girls’ College will be vying for their fourth title in the Durban Central Regional. Another team on the prowl for their fourth title, Hillcrest High School have stood tall dominating the Highway area, the only other team to feature on the top step is Luthayi High School. Three teams have been crowned in the Durban North Regional, with Danville Park Girls’ High’s name engraved on the trophy twice and on the hunt for a third victory. Ferrum High School currently is the defending champions in the Northern KZN Regional, but host team Hoërskool Pionier have also had the honour of raising the regional trophy once, as have the Smurfs twice, representing Dundee High School. 

Eight weeks of action packed netball is due to unfold around KwaZulu Natal as the sixth SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Fast 5’s Netball Challenge tips off next month.

For more information, follow the tournament on social media.

Durban Girls’ College claim Durban North Regional title in the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Fast 5s Netball Challenge

SPAR KZN Schoolgirl’s Fast 5s Netball Challenge

Durban North College: Saturday 13 August

Durban Girls’ College claim the inaugural Durban North Regional title in the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Fast 5s Netball Challenge that took place at Durban North College on Saturday 13 August. 

In a fast-flowing game, College took on Danville Park Girls’ High School in the regional final. College opened their account with a well-crafted, goal from right under the hoop by XYZ, after a nifty pass by xyz. Danville responded on the other side with a calm shot being netted by XYZ. The game yo-yo’d for a patch as one team progressed by scoring, only for the opposition to level the scoreline shortly after. 

Nearing the end of the first half, College pulled slightly away with two back-to-back goals, giving them an advantage of 6 goals to Danville’s 4 going into half time. 

Danville were first to score in the second half, edging the score up to 6-5 in favour of College, but then College dominated the next ninety seconds of play and took their tally up to 8-5. Danville pushed hard, sending up short, sharp bursts of play into the College circle but were unable to reel in the 3 point deficit. College’s signature long passes were always a decisive response to Danville’s fast attacks, and again the score stepped up with both teams firing in a goal, and then another goal being recorded on the other side. 

With time almost up, College took the game further away from Danville with the last passage of play seeing College basketing three more quick fire goals, taking the score to 14-8 at the full-time whistle. 

In the semi-finals, Durban Girls’ College met host school, Durban North College and dominated the game with an 18-2 victory. Durban Girls’ College’s players towered over their opponents, not giving Durban North College a lot of space under the net. Danville took on Crawford La Lucia in their semi-final and in a very even matched game, took the win 10-8, with both teams only scoring three goals each in the second half. 

Captain for Durban Girls’ College, Tanna de Freitas stated, “It was a great tournament with some amazing competition. I am very proud of everyone here today, especially my team.” 

Durban Girls’ College were invited to play in the week leading up to the tournament as one of the confirmed local teams, sadly had to withdraw. 

De Freitas continued, “We were a late entry for this tournament so winning today was a bit of a surprise but the whole experience was very enjoyable.”

Coach for Durban Girls’ College, Annie Nurcombe said, “The tournament was very professionally run. It was really refreshing to play a fast 5s tournament, we haven’t played for a long time and the competition was brilliant and the umpires were amazing and I thank you all for your contribution and this opportunity.”

Coach for Danville Park Girls’ High School, former Protea’s netball player, Precious Mthembu said, “I think the girls improved as the games went on. It was the first time for them playing fast 5s. Thank you to SPAR and the team that put this event together, it was an opportunity for the girls to play again as a team. This tournament was a good measure to see how Danville have been doing. We played College earlier in the season and the difference was huge, and now to get a 14-8 loss against them shows that our team has improved a lot. Some wonderful netball was played today by all the teams, especially after the long CoViD break. Well done to everyone here today.”

The next tournament takes place at Southcity Christian School on Saturday 20 August where teams will participate in the KZN South Coast Regional. All games will be live-streamed by SuperSport Schools on their mobile app or on their website. 

END

SPAR KZN Schoolgirl’s Fast 5s Netball Kuswag High School: Saturday 3 August

SPAR KZN Schoolgirl’s Fast 5s Netball 

Kuswag High School: Saturday 3 August

The very first name to be engraved on the trophy at the inaugural SPAR KZN Schoolgirl’s Fast 5s Netball Tournament on Saturday 3 August at Kuswag High School is Hillcrest High School.

The first SPAR Fast 5s tournament, hosted by Amanzimtoti High School had ten out of the eleven registered teams take to the two courts, with a total of 55 games of high energy action taking place. The tournament played in a round robin format had two 6 minute halves and a generous 2 minute breather midway.

The on-song team on the day, the victorious Hillcrest High racked up ten out of their ten wins, netting 99 baskets and only allowing 28 points go in against them, including 10 points in the big game against Gelofte High School. Hillcrest were in stealth mode against their fellow Highway team. 

In a game where the action bounced from end to end in lightning quick pace, Gelofte were the first team to score, with Hillcrest levelling shortly thereafter. The dynamic northern team were unphased by the towering frame of Goal Shooter, Nadine Hefer from Gelofte who had a near perfect scoring ration throughout the day. Camping under the net, Hefer calmly floated shot after shot in against Hillcrest, but the wily team hustled the ball up, never letting Gelofte get ahead of them. At the blast of the final whistle after a feisty 14 minutes of play, Hillcrest were up 13 to Gelofte’s 10, earning an impressive victory.

Gelofte met yet another challenge in the team from Durban Girls’ High School. The two schools both finished the day with 8 points, 8 wins and 2 losses. In the game against each other, only 1 point separated the two with the scoreline favouring Gelofte 10-9. DGHS only other loss was to the winning team, Hillcrest while Gelofte’s kryptonite was Durban North College, with College taking that game 12-7. 

Mid-fleet, a tightly bunched pack battled it out for sixth place between Ridge Park College, KwaMakhutha High School, Northlands Girls’ High School and host team Toti. Four round robin points sepearted the four schools as the day concluded. Northlands Girls’ High finished their day in sixth, scooping the place from Toti with a better goal scoring difference. Both teams finished on 12 points, but Northlands netted 43 points to Toti’s 30. They were followed by Ridge Park College on 10 points and the hard working team from KwaMakhutha who earned 9 points. 

A tradition in the SPAR Schoolgirls’ tournaments, the hard working whistle blowers are acknowledged for efforts making the tough decisions throughout the day. Being recognised for her time on the court, Dumo Mthiyane from host school, Toti was awarded the Umpire of the Day at the first tournament.

The next tournament travels to Southcity Christian School in Margate for the southern schools’ regions, before heading to Empangeni High School and Voortrekker High School in Pietermaritzburg.

For more info like the tournament’s Facebook page or follow on Instagram.

Round Robin Results

1 Hillcrest High School 30pts, 2 Gelofte High School 24pts, 3 Durban Girls’ High School 24pts, 4 Durban North College 21pts, 5 Kingsway High School 19pts, 6 Northlands Girls’ High School 12pts, 7 Amanzimtoti High School 12pts, 8 Ridge Park College, 3pts 10 KwaMakhutha High School 9pts, 10 Rossburgh High School 3pts

ENDS