Kenya misses Youth World Cup qualification slot, but picks positives from concluded event
Kenya women’s national youth netball team jetted back in the country on Monday morning with lots of lessons learned from the just concluded World Youth Netball Cup Africa Qualifiers in South Africa after being ranked fifth out of the seven countries that participated in the continental event.
Speaking on Monday upon arrival, Kenya Netball Federation (KNF) chairperson Immaculate Kabutha was optimistic that the country’s future is now even brighter with the under 21 side, saying that her administration will now go back to the drawing board and come up with a map and structures that will ensure continuity with more national and international exposures to the young women that did Kenya proud in Pretoria.
“They have done us proud, together with my team I am very happy. We have many challenges in Kenya while developing netball, but with more international competitions, these young women will get used to the atmosphere and as a result we are going to have a strong national senior team when they graduate from youth level,” said an excited Kabutha adding that it was important that the team be maintained and occasionally will be summoned for training camps.
Kenya begun their World Youth Cup dream on Sunday against Zimbabwe, but lost 49-39, a day after jetting in to South Africa and had to acclimatize to the modern facilities used in the Rembrandt Hall, University of Pretoria where the event took place.
The George Adoyo led charges were in action again on Tuesday last week for a crunch double header with hosts South Africa who beat them by 70-16 in the morning and later tried to play catch up against Malawi in the afternoon, but fell short 44-38.
