BNC wins three trophies at NTA nationals
Tennis
After its domination in recent years at the Namibia Tennis Association (NTA) Schools League Nationals, hosted in collaboration with Kallie’s Tennis School (KTS), Eros Primary School has fallen to the Bernhard Nordkamp Centre (BNC), which returned to the competition after nearly six years of absence.The nationals reached their crescendo at the Central Tennis Courts (CTC) in Olympia on Saturday after featuring Eros PS, Holy Cross Convent Primary School, Emma Hoogenhout Primary School and Walvis Bay Private School (WBPS).
With fierce competition from boys and girls in the under-10, U12 and U14 categories, battling it out in a round-robin format, returnee BNC proved too strong for its contenders, scooping the U10 girls category trophy and getting a clean sweep of the U12 boys and girls national titles.
Inspiring athletes
Despite the commanding performance, BNC’s coach Clifford Ngunovandu remained humble, indicating that he cannot take full credit, as it was a team effort.
“None of it would have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the players.
“I hope this success inspires young athletes to stay motivated and keep pushing forward. No matter the outcome, keep fighting and doing your best,” Ngunovandu said.
In the U12 category, BNC’s girls’ team was seconded by Eros and Holy Cross Convent, with Eros the only team they had to beat in the boys' national title run. Meanwhile in the U10 girls’ category, Convent and Eros settled for second and third place, respectively.
WBPS exhibited excellent skills to win the U10 boys’ national title. Team organiser, Amoré Visser, expressed pride in the Walvis Bay team’s accomplishments and progress over the past month.
“We are super proud of them. From the moment they started working together a month ago, they have been exceptional!” she remarked.
‘Keep players involved in training’
The boys' U14 category, where BNC wasn’t in the equation, saw Eros defeat Convent, clinching their only glimpse of past victories.
Part of Eros’ decreased performance could be ascribed to the team fielding new players, as their previous stars have transcended the league into high school. Team convener Maria Shuuya lamented the bittersweet aspect of the team failing to own up to its winning ways.
“This victory really puts Eros Primary School back on the map. The only sad part is that these players will (once again) be moving on to high school next year,” she said.
To the parents, Shuuya said: “We are encouraging them to keep players involved in training. They ought to bring them to CTC for extra training, so they can continue to grow and hopefully become top tennis players.”
Emma Hoogenhout won the U14 girls’ national title.
In need of sponsors
Event organisers lamented the low turnout, indicating it is caused by a lack of sponsors.
The nationals were set to feature visiting teams from Erongo, Otjozondjupa, ||Kharas and Ohangwena Regions, however, most teams failed to muster the funds to cover logistics, among other things.
Competition organiser SP van Wyk said teams from other regions used to come and put up good fights. “It’s a pity they could not participate in the competition, as there are no sponsors.
“We really need companies and private sponsors to come on board and support our youth. Keeping them engaged and off the streets is one of the most important goals we have,” he noted.
Any school interested in participating in the league can contact SP van Wyk at 081 206 0174.
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