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Sports Correspondent
Four softball representatives from the University of Fort Hare played starring roles in the USSA national women’s team’s fortunes at the senior National Provincial Championships (NPCs), where they placed third last week.
Assistant coach Nolwazi Mabindisa, strength and conditioning mentor Silindile Mdleleni and players Zizipho Lingela and Sinenjongo Yolwa did their university proud as the team swung and pitched their way into the semifinals in Polokwane.
The University Sports South Africa team then saw off Limpopo in the playoff for third and fourth to claim bronze.
The week proved especially memorable for Mabindisa, who served as team manager last year. While she has won a championship silver as a player, it is the first medal she has brought home as a coach.
Third base shortstop Lingela made her third appearance for the national side but was sadly unable to play every game after suffering an injury midway through the competition.
Yolwa, meanwhile, started as a catcher in the semifinal in only her second outing for the students.
The USSA outfit arrived in Limpopo on Sunday last week and spent three days training for the championship, which kicked off on Wednesday.
They won three of their six round-robin matches to reach the playoff stage. One of these victories was an 11-1 thrashing of Western Province, a powerhouse of South African softball.
Ironically, the women from the Western Cape defeated KwaZulu-Natal in the group stages before the latter went on to oust the USSA team in their semi.
Since the national team trounced the team that defeated the eventual silver medallists, Mabindisa believed her charges had a real chance of reaching the final.
“We lost 3-10 to KZN. It was a very painful loss,” she said. “I suppose nerves kicked in.”
Gauteng eventually won the women’s division, making it two championship victories.
While disappointed that the USSA side could not go all the way, Mabindisa was pleased with their performance given they had gone toe-to-toe with some of the best provincial teams in the land.
Save for a few changes, the same squad will take on Africa’s best universities in the CUCSA (Confederation of Universities and Colleges Sports Association) Games in Pretoria later this year.
From what she had seen in Polokwane, they would be a strong contender for the title.
Mabindisa said that the four UFH representatives’ involvement at the national student level was a sign that softball at the university was on the upswing.
Fort Hare also had five representatives on the provincial side who did battle with the NPCs.
She said having so many coaches and players competing at this level would only strengthen UFH softball.
“To get these types of accolades, it shows we are doing something right.”
Because the championships were held earlier this year, local leagues will now only start in August – an unfortunate scenario for Fort Hare students not playing at the national and provincial levels.
However, Mabindisa is planning to arrange a series of intervarsity games and friendlies to keep her players fresh.
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