Source IFNA
Netball South Africa is this week mourning the death of Annelle Besselaar, one of Gauteng North's most promising young netball players, who was killed in a car crash in Pretoria East on Wednesday night.
Besselaar was travelling with friend and Gauteng North teammate Heike Kotze when the accident happened. Besselaar died at the scene and Kotze is in a stable condition at the Unitas Hospital in Pretoria.
Netball South Africa President, Mimi Mthethwa, expressed her sadness at the news of Besselaar's death. "(We) are deeply saddened at the death of such a promising player," said Mthethwa. "The passing on of Annelle Besselaar is not only a loss to Gauteng North, and the Gauteng Thunderbirds but to the entire netball and sport fraternity."
Besselaar, who played for Gauteng North and for the Thunderbirds, was named best goal shooter at the national netball championships in Durban in 2007. At the time of her death, she was coach of the Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool in Pretoria.
Meanwhile, domestic competitions are top of mind in several emerging nations around the world. The Solomon Islands Netball Federation is staging the country’s Inter-Provincial netball tournament next week, which will feature six regional teams: Western Province, Guadalcanal Province, Renell and Bellonna, Central Province, Makira Province and Ulawa Province.
Grenada’s Intersector tournament reaches its conclusion this weekend, with four teams - Hubbards, SGU Pacers, Ministry of Sport and Huggins – qualified for the semi-finals. As a curtain raiser for the competition, the managers of the teams will take part in a Bosses Shoot Out, to see whether their shooting skills match up to their management abilities.
In Sri Lanka, the Minister of Sports made a commitment to further the development of netball alongside other sports across the country when presenting the prizes at the All Island Netball competition. The President Challenge Cup was won by Seylan Bank, who defeated Hatton National Bank 72-56 in the final.
In Europe, Team Bath remain at the top of the British Superleague after a 63-29 win over TeamNorthumbria.
Meanwhile, Welsh player Carly Ennis this week took part in the launch of the first go-eco Mini League in Cardiff, alongside a host of other Welsh international sporting stars. The league, the first of its kind in Wales, aims to actively encourage schoolchildren to participate in sport, while also making them aware of environmental issues. During the initial league, four schools will compete in a variety of sports, including netball, while conducting environmental lessons.
